The Devil's in the Details
by Crystal Rose of Pollux
Summary: Ultimate Era, inspired by the E3 trailer. A new tournament approaches, but excitement turns to horror when news breaks of Mario's death at Ridley's hands. As it comes to light that Ganondorf put Ridley up it to feed the darkness in Luigi's heart, Luigi realizes that trying to bring his brother back to life is actually the easiest problem to solve among the many that lie ahead.
1. Recovery Mission

_Notes: this was, originally, supposed to be a simple fix-it fic to bring Mario back after he was seemingly killed off in the E3 Ridley trailer, but the idea expanded into what will eventually be a multichapter endeavor. Though the focus will be on the Mushroom Kingdom characters, some of the other Smashers will have important supporting roles, and more will have cameos_.

 _Additionally, I have the Koopalings as Bowser's kids along with Junior; I know it's been retconned, but I grew up when the Koopalings were considered Bowser's kids, and since Nintendo retcons and re-retcons stuff all the time, I'm just sticking with them as his kids, too, and Bowser just gives Junior extra special treatment since he's the youngest_.

* * *

Luigi found the welcome banquet for the new Smash tournament more like a big reunion dinner than anything else; old faces he hadn't seen in the last tournament were back again—catching up with the Ice Climbers had made it feel as though barely any time had passed, and Red was back from adventures in Alola (with his friend Leaf in tow), having returned with new Pokémon to participate in the matches as Pokéball summons.

Both Luigi and Peach were taking the time to introduce Daisy to everyone. Daisy was very much getting into the spirit of things, and as Luigi found himself sidetracked by hanging out with Ness and Dedede (with whom he was still close friends with after their adventures together in Subspace during the Brawl tournament), Peach continued giving Daisy the tour.

Luigi was deep in conversation about his latest adventures when the doors of the banquet hall suddenly burst open. Samus Aran, looking as though she had been in a brutal fight, rushed in to the hall. Luigi blinked in surprise as she ran to R.O.B., spoke with him for a moment, and then indicated something outside. R.O.B. took a look and zoomed out the door as everyone in the banquet hall began to whisper upon seeing Samus's condition; Pikachu ran up to her, concerned.

"What's going on?" Ness wondered.

"I don't know…" Luigi said. "Mario went with her and Mega Man to check out a disturbance at some abandoned reactor. I wonder what could have happened…"

…

 _It had been only hours ago, soon after the brothers had arrived at the banquet hall, making a beeline for the food; they had been distracted by Pit eagerly running up to greet them, who had stayed and gushed over seeing them again—at least until Link had walked over to them, upon which Pit, not being too fond of Link, had cleared out._

 _Finally, though, the brothers had made it to the food—only to have Samus arrive with Mega Man in tow, explaining about the disturbance she had heard about and asking whether or not they wanted to help her take a look._

 _Mario, after giving a long look at the buffet table, had sighed and agreed to help; he had known that the other Smashers held him in high regard (no small feat when he and his brother were maintenance men sharing company with royalty, seasoned warriors, and bounty hunters), and had also known that a hero was never to refuse a request for aid._

 _Mario had turned to Luigi at that moment._

" _Well, what do you think?" he had said._

" _Er… Well…"_

 _Luigi had been spared by Snake showing up and greeting him loudly—to Samus's annoyance, somewhat. Mario, on the other hand, hadn't seemed too bothered by the interruption, and, instead, gave Luigi a thumbs-up._

" _No worries," he had said. "Peach will be bringing Daisy by soon, anyway; you can help show Daisy around. Save me a plate of tortellini, huh?"_

" _Of course, Big Bro!" Luigi had replied. "Good luck!"_

…

Luigi snapped back to the present as Samus approached him.

"What happened?" he asked, and his nervousness grew as he saw the pained look on Samus's face.

"We were… waylaid by Ridley," she said, her voice mostly calm, but with a very slight quiver, almost unnoticeable.

"Ridley!?" Pit exclaimed. "You mean _he_ was the disturbance?"

"Yes," she replied. "He must have wanted to lure me out there; he was banking on the fact that I would investigate."

Luigi didn't like where this was going—especially when she had returned alone after going there with Mega Man and Mario.

"And…?" he prompted.

"He impaled Mega Man with his tail," she said, an edge now growing to her voice. "He attacked him from behind; I managed to find him and bring him back here. R.O.B. says he can repair him."

"…And… my brother…?" Luigi asked, dreading the answer.

Samus hesitated, but then shook her head. Gasps filled the banquet hall as those who could hear the news passed it along to the rest of the fighters—Pit dropped the plate of food he was holding in shock as Peach held back a cry, covering her mouth with her hands as Daisy paled. Even Bowser looked taken aback, though Ganondorf remained absolutely deadpan.

"I couldn't find him," Samus said, as gently as she could. "I'm sorry, Luigi. I think he fell into the reactor core when Ridley attacked him. Ridley went for me next, but I managed to get away after we'd fought for a while…"

She didn't dare to tell him about how Ridley had been taunting her with Mario's cap—that would be more than the sensitive younger brother would be able to handle—perhaps it was a good thing that she hadn't been able to retrieve the cap; even as Luigi stood there, shaking, it seemed that this was too much for him, too. The cap would have likely worsened things…

"He… he fell…?" Luigi managed to say, at last.

"That doesn't mean he's dead!" Pit blurted out. "Maybe he grabbed onto something on the way down! Maybe he used his cape to slow his fall! Mario wouldn't go down that easy! I mean, he's gotta be okay-!"

"Pit…" Palutena said, gently.

"We've gotta go find him, Lady Palutena—if he is alive, he'll still need our help!" Pit insisted. "I'll help Luigi look for him!"

"I…. _Si_ , we've got to find him," Luigi said, holding onto the hope that his brother had gotten out of impossible situations more than once. He wanted to believe that Pit was right—that his brother was alright, just in need of help… "Samus, you have to take Pit and me there-I've gotta help my big bro."

"And me, Samus," Peach said, her voice quiet, and somewhat resigned. "I need to find out for myself."

The oldest Link stepped forward now and nodded to indicate that he was coming, as well; Pit was too absorbed in his worry for Mario to even voice his annoyance at that.

But it was as Daisy volunteered that Samus put her foot down.

"Our search party shouldn't be larger than five—any larger, and it will be difficult to keep track of everyone. And besides that…" Samus scowled. "Ridley will likely attack here next; he'll assume I've retreated here, and he's already shown that he doesn't care who he kills to get to me."

A worried mummer swept across the crowd.

"I want everyone here to prepare their defenses in case Ridley attacks," Samus continued. "Zelda, you are going to be in charge of the defenses here."

The Hylian princess gave a nod.

"What can you tell us about Ridley?" she asked.

"He doesn't know the meaning of the word 'mercy,' and he gets a thrill out of causing collateral damage," Samus replied. She glanced pointedly at Ness and Lucas, and the Inklings. "Keep the kids out of the way; they aren't ready for this."

Bowser drew back, ushering Junior and the Koopalings to follow him; the young turtles reluctantly obeyed. As they gathered the necessary supplies they'd need and left with Samus, the search party caught a glimpse of Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle arguing with Red and Leaf about joining them.

This was soon pushed from their thoughts as they headed for the reactor where Ridley had ambushed Samus, Mario, and Mega Man earlier. There was certainly a lot of damage from the battle that Samus and Ridley had fought, but there was no sign of Ridley now—and no sign of Mario, either.

"Maaaaaaariooooo!" Luigi called. His cry for his brother echoed around the reactor, but he didn't get a response.

"That ladder will take us down to the core, but stay alert," Samus said. Knowing Ridley, she had no hopes for Mario's survival, but knew that she owed it to him to retrieve his body from this place.

"I'll fly down-" Pit began.

"No; we need to stay together," Samus insisted. "You and Peach float down beneath us and keep your eyes open; Link and Luigi will climb down the ladder after you, and I'll cover you all from just above them.

The climb down was long and tense, expecting to be attacked by Ridley at any moment. But they heard no sound and saw no sign of him—perhaps he had left to attack the banquet after all…

Peach and Pit hit the ground first, followed by the other three. The core was dark; no light was able to filter down.

"We're sitting ducks down here," Samus muttered.

"I've got this," Pit said, and he concentrated on his telepathic connection to Palutena. "Lady Palutena…. Can you grant us some light?"

" _Yes, Pit, but be careful_ …"

A beam of her Heavenly Light surrounded them, illuminating the area.

"Oh!" cried Peach, pointing ahead.

Palutena's light now reached a figure clad in red and blue lying motionless on the ground. And the cry of anguish from Luigi broke every heart that had traveled here with him.

"NO!" he cried, running over to Mario's side.

The others followed behind; Samus frantically looking around, expecting an ambush now while they were distracted. Pit looked as though he was in complete denial, unable to grasp that this horrible fate had befallen his hero; Link stared in stunned shock. Peach was torn between her own grief and how sorry she was feeling for Luigi, who was now kneeling by Mario, gathering his fallen brother in his arms.

" _Svegliati, fratello mio! Per favore_ …!"

He trailed off, horrified, as Mario's neck remained in an unnatural angle from when Ridley had seized his head; his brother's eyes were open and blank, and his face still registering the shock of being ambushed—likely his last coherent thought.

Pit's bow slipped from his hands with a clatter as Luigi tried in vain to keep himself together; the green-clad plumber now pulled a one-up mushroom, broke a piece off of it, and placed it in his brother's mouth.

"C'mon, Bro…" he pleaded, now in English. He tried to tilt Mario's head back so that he would swallow the mushroom piece, but his neck was too severely injured to allow that to happen. "… _Please_ …!"

"…Lady Palutena…" Pit choked out. "Isn't there _anything_ you can do…!? The Rewind Spring was able to heal me when my wings burned up; why can't we-?"

" _You were still alive—albeit barely—when you were taken to the Rewind Spring. I'm sorry, Pit_ ," the goddess replied, forlornly. " _Raising the dead is beyond my powers_."

"Then… then maybe Thanatos or Hades could…?" But Pit trailed off; neither of them would be willing to help—if anything, Hades would seek out Mario's spirit just to torment him further.

Peach, silent all this time, now sat down beside Luigi, placing one of her hands on Luigi's shoulder and taking Mario's cold hand in her other one, wishing there was something she could do, as well—something that could bring Mario back and heal Luigi in the process. Mario had been a hero to her kingdom, and to her, as well—but she would have to put aside her grief for now, sharp and painful as it was, and guide others through this tragedy.

And she would start with his brother, who was now breaking into sobs as the realization of how hopeless it was if even the Goddess of Light was confessing that there was nothing she could do.

"Luigi," Peach said, gently. Her voice was threatening to crack, but she kept it under control. "Luigi, I promise you, Ridley will not get away with what he did. I'm not going to make any false claims that things will be alright—because you and I both know that… that it won't be possible."

Luigi gave a hollow nod.

"Mario was there for me from the very beginning," he managed to say, between sobs. "When Kamek took me, he mobilized all the Yoshis to save me… Since then… always… He was there for me when I needed help. …You were there, at the last tennis tournament—you saw how he saved me from the Legendary Racquet when it was controlling me…!"

"Yes, I saw," Peach said. "He cared for the both of us very much, and never hesitated to help us."

"…Then why wasn't I here for him when he needed me most?" Luigi asked, sounding absolutely haunted. "He asked me to come along, but I think he sensed that I didn't want to come here…. So he let me stay back at the banquet." He broke down into sobs again. "I should've been here for him!"

"Luigi, this isn't your fault," Peach insisted. "There are… were… things I should have done—and said—too…"

Link now knelt on Mario's other side, across from Peach; he was still quiet, but was looking upon the fallen hero with respect—as well as with an expression that suggested that he was trying to think of something.

Whatever it was, Samus decided, they didn't have time for right now.

"Princess," she said to Peach. "We can't stay here any longer; we need to take Mario back with us-"

A loud, unearthly screech echoed around the reactor. Samus cursed and now aimed her weapon around, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. Pit stood in front of the mourners, having retrieved his bow.

Another screech echoed through the reactor as Ridley himself now descended in front of them, his glowing eyes fixed on Luigi and his mouth forming an unmistakable smirk as he twirled Mario's cap around a claw again.


	2. The Mastermind

_Notes:_ Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam _confirms that the Paper Mario timeline is separate from the non-Paper timeline, occurring in a world that is located in a book, which Luigi found in the beginning of the game. I don't think it's a stretch to assume that the prophecies and the history of events from_ Super Paper Mario _would be written in the book, and that Luigi might have ended up reading them and finding what happened to his Paper self—and wondering if that could happen to him, too_ …

* * *

Back at the banquet hall, the other fighters were still preparing for an imminent attack from Ridley, unaware that he had chosen to confront the search party. Rosalina had been elected to look after the young fighters and had taken them to a different room in the elegant mansion. Bowser, despite trusting her, was clearly on edge with the notion that his children were in harm's way.

And his expression only grew as Palutena announced, in a sad and somber voice, that the search party had found Mario—and that he had not survived.

"What are you so worried about?" Ganondorf scoffed, watching Bowser fret even more at the announcement. "I would have thought that you would rejoice to learn that your greatest foe is no more a concern to you."

Bowser shot him a glare.

"Mario has defeated me time and time again," he snarled. "If Ridley has killed him, then it's a cinch that I don't stand a chance. More than that, I have _them_ to think about!" He indicated the room where Junior and the Koopalings were staying. "If anything happened to _any_ of them…!"

Ganondorf just shook his head, amused, prompting Bowser to get angrier.

"What!?" the turtle-dragon growled. "What's with that look!? You should be shaking in your shoes like the rest of us right now! Mario has defeated you, too, you know!"

"That was never my concern," Ganondorf said, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. "And you might as well relax; Ridley will not harm you or your brood. This was never about you—it was never even about Mario."

Bowser's eyes narrowed.

"What are you talking about…?" he queried. "What do you know about Ridley and what he did to Mario!?"

Ganondorf smirked.

"Do you recall, two tournaments ago, that absolutely powerful Final Smash that Luigi would use?"

"…This is about Green 'Stache!? What!?" Bowser barked. "And that weirdo dance he did!?"

"The Negative Zone," Ganondorf said, his eyes narrowing. "From the moment I saw Luigi using it—the moment I saw the darkness in his heart and the dark magic he could unleash with it, I knew that I had to get a power like that on my side. After our battle with Tabuu, I looked into it; much like how I have existed in multiple timelines, there are multiple timelines for Luigi, as well—and in one of these timelines, there apparently exists a prophecy wherein Luigi is described as the ideal host for a powerful darkness—a darkness which was awakened in him and empowered him until those using him were defeated. But in this timeline, if the prophecy holds true here, as well, then it appears that the darkness in his heart was being kept at bay all this time—and I realized that it was because of his brother! That was why it became so apparent during the Brawl tournament; they appeared to have had some sort of rift, and without his brother to keep it in check, Luigi's darkness was awakened because of it. Didn't you find it odd that Luigi wasn't cheering on his brother during his exhibition match with Kirby?"

Bowser grunted.

"So what? That's all history now; whatever was going on, they worked it out and put it behind them."

"Yes, and that was the problem," Ganondorf insisted. "Once again, Mario was keeping the darkness in check. The darkness in Luigi's heart had nothing to feed off of—the negative emotions that fueled the Negative Zone were severely reduced to the point that he couldn't use that as his Final Smash in the last tournament. He switched to that Poltergust 5000 and light magic! The two brothers were as close as ever, and continued to be, even with this new tournament being announced! I could not let that darkness be extinguished—I had to take action."

"You…" Bowser realized. " _You_ put Ridley up to this!?"

"I told him I would deliver Samus to him on the condition that he eliminate Mario swiftly and absolutely," Ganondorf bragged. "Mega Man was collateral damage—but if this won't strengthen the darkness in Luigi's heart, then nothing will. I expect Ridley is confronting Luigi now as we speak… The darkness will inevitably awaken."

Bowser stared at Ganondorf with an unreadable expression—and then let out a loud roar that caused everyone in the hall to stare at them in shock. Furiously, Bowser pointed at the Gerudo king.

"He put Ridley up to killing Mario!" he announced.

"Ungrateful beast!" snarled Ganondorf. "I have helped rid you of your worst enemy, and this is the thanks I get!?"

"I wanted to defeat Mario on my own terms—head to head, not have some space dragon ambush him just to emotionally manipulate and corrupt Green 'Sta—Luigi!" Bowser threw back. He turned to the others. "Where is this reactor!? I'm going there right now—Ridley's still there!"

After getting the directions, while the others now rounded on Ganondorf, Bowser bounded off towards the reactor, snarling as he noticed Daisy following him.

"This doesn't concern you!" he barked.

"You mentioned 'emotional manipulation,' 'corruption,' and 'Luigi' in the same sentence—you bet your shell it concerns me!" Daisy huffed, not the least bit intimidated. "Is this about the Negative Zone?"

"Yeah. Ganondorf wants Luigi to start using it again and awaken some inner darkness he's supposed to have according to some prophecy—and having Mario killed was his surefire way of getting Luigi awaken that darkness. …Between you and me, is that likely?" He frowned as Daisy lowered her gaze. "…I thought so."

"Well, I mean, you've seen for yourself," Daisy said. "Those brothers mean the world to each other. Luigi is never going to be the same. But why does Ganondorf want Luigi to use the Negative Zone again and awaken the darkness? He'd just be bringing it on himself—especially when Luigi finds out that Ganondorf masterminded this whole thing."

"Because if Luigi gets overcome by the darkness, then Ganondorf can step in and control him!" Bowser snarled.

"Oh…"

"It's worse than that—the search party took a Smash Ball with them in case they ran into Ridley there," Bowser said. "We've got to get there before Luigi uses one and ends up using the Negative Zone with his emotions all out of control!"

* * *

Luigi was certainly feeling a rush of uncontrollable emotions as he stared down his brother's killer, still taunting him with his cap.

"You…" Luigi said, his voice growing uncharacteristically cold and angry. "You did this to my big bro…"

He gently laid Mario on the ground and stood up, glaring at the giant dragon; Samus had Ridley covered in case he was ready to make a move. But Ridley merely smirked and continued to twirl Mario's hat around.

"Luigi, wait…" Peach said. "He seems to _want_ you to attack him…!"

"Then that's exactly what he'll get!" Luigi declared, his hands ablaze with green fire. "I'll give him the fight that Mario would have given him!"

Pit also launched into an attack at the same time Luigi did; Samus cursed and fired at Ridley; the dragon merely tanked the hits and sneered at them.

Peach stood up now, ready to join the fight as Luigi, Pit, and Samus moved to attack again together, but she paused as she felt Link gently touch her wrist.

"What is it?" she asked.

Link indicated the fallen Mario, and then himself as he began to concentrate; Peach realized he was trying to do some form of magic.

"I understand," she said. "I'll cover you."

She also had access to the items that they had brought with them; she equipped a back shield for herself and Link, handed an Ore Club to Pit, and gave Luigi a Super Leaf. With his ability to fly, Luigi now focused his attacks on Ridley's head, striking repeatedly and without mercy as Samus and Pit backed him up.

"This is for my big bro!" he fumed, using his Fire Jump Punch on Ridley's jaw. The dragon flinched, but didn't back down.

"We need to finish this!" Samus said. "Or at least get away and regroup with some of the others! Get the Smash Ball-quickly!"

Peach tossed a Smash Ball into the air, but Ridley seemed to know exactly what it was. Pit began to shoot arrows at the ball, aiming to break it and unleash its power before Ridley could—

"Look out!" Samus called.

Ridley's tail zipped towards Pit like a spear; he dove out of the way to avoid taking the full impact, but the glancing blow was enough to send him flying. Pit hit wall and then the ground, stunned and wide-open; Samus changed position to protect him now.

Luigi dove for the Smash Ball, but Ridley beat him to it now, seizing it in his fist. With his other hand, he grabbed Luigi.

"No!" Peach cried. She was no longer thinking of her kingdom and its heroes, but of the brothers' mother, and how it would be to lose both of her sons to this monster.

She would not allow it. Thankfully, she had already taken matters into hand, even as Samus fired at Ridley's arm to get him to let go of Luigi.

Thinking quickly, Peach seized a vegetable from the ground and hurled it at the Smash Ball in Ridley's hand, which broke it. But instead of enveloping her in its aura, the sphere exploded in Ridley's hand, sending Ridley to the ground in a daze now, letting go of Luigi as he fell.

"What was that!?" Samus demanded.

"A fake Smash Ball," Peach replied, calmly. "I had a feeling Ridley would try to steal it from us. Here's the real one—quickly, while he's still stunned!"

She tossed it into the air again; Samus took aim, but Luigi leaped forward again, punching the Smash Ball until it broke, and its aura surrounded him. By habit, Luigi reached for his Poltergust 5000, which he was expecting to materialize as the ball's magic would activate. But the vacuum did not appear.

A familiar, dark feeling was returning to his heart—a feeling that he hadn't felt in a long time, but was now being fueled again by his sorrow and anger over the loss of his brother. And a voice was whispering in his ear-

" _That Poltergust of yours will not be strong enough—Ridley would be too big for that tiny vacuum! Use the Negative Zone—with the feelings you're feeling now, you should be able to cast it again, stronger than ever before_!"

Use the Negative Zone? But Mario had never approved of that, and had never been subtle about his disapproval, either. He had been stunned and clearly upset when Luigi had shown off the move for the first time during their preparation for the Brawl tournament—questioning why Luigi had found the need to use dark magic, and questioning why he hadn't seen this development. Luigi eventually let it slip that the move had been powered by dark emotions—emotions that he'd been feeling when he'd been left behind while Mario had been off on solo adventures as of late—and since he hadn't been there, he hadn't been able to notice it.

Mario hadn't taken that revelation well at all—not only had he not caught this sooner, but that he was the cause of it? He had felt hurt, and, with his own emotions now starting to get out of control, they'd had an argument—Peach, who had overheard part of it, had broken it up, but Luigi had chosen to leave after that to sort out his muddled emotions—thus being absent for Mario's exhibition match against Kirby.

As for Mario, he tried to deal with his emotions by focusing on the match, and the battles that came after as the whole Subspace fiasco began. It was after the battles with Tabuu that the brothers found themselves together again—that Luigi had admitted how terrible he'd felt, and how, after seeing Mario lying there with the others after they'd lost to Tabuu the first time, how he'd been haunted by the thought that their last conversation had been that big argument.

And Mario had felt the same way. They had apologized to each other; Mario still had been honest about his disapproval of Luigi using dark magic, and Luigi had, too, about being left out and left behind. Once the tournament ended, however, Mario had made sincere efforts to spend more time with him, and Luigi had found his negative emotions lessening over time to the point when, in the most recent tournament, he could no longer cast the Negative Zone and used the Poltergust instead for his Final Smash, much to Mario's joy.

But here he was now, with the drive to cast the Negative Zone stronger than ever before, because, this time, Mario was gone, and all Luigi had to hold onto was the knowledge that, at least, their last words to each other had been joyful and optimistic this time.

Luigi would have to do the work of his brother now—and he had to be as strong as he possibly could be to do so. He would have to stop Ridley by any means necessary… and that would mean using his strongest move, even if it was dark magic…

"Luigi…!" Peach exclaimed, realizing what was happening. "Luigi, wait-!"

"Luigi!" Daisy called, as she and Bowser approached. "Luigi, you can't use the Negative Zone!"

It wasn't even fully registering to Luigi that Daisy was here; he was only just barely aware of her words.

 _Can't use it? But I have to…_ The emotions in his heart pulsed and strengthened. _What other choice do I have…?_

"Words won't work!" he heard Bowser snarl, and before Luigi could even move, he felt the Koopa king's arm slam into him with such a force, the Smash Ball's aura was knocked right out of him, re-forming back into a sphere.

Bowser roared, hammering his fists at the ball until it shattered again; now he had the aura, and used its magic to become Giga Bowser.

Luigi could only stand by and watch as Giga Bowser, now bigger than the Space Pirate dragon, did what he should have done and finished the fight; with one punch, he sent Ridley flying with so much force, Ridley went right through the reactor wall, still hurtling further to parts unknown.

"…Well, that works, too…" Pit said, quietly, as Bowser roared and returned to normal as the Smash Ball's magic wore off.

"It's only temporary," Samus said. "He'll be back once he recovers, and we'll need to be ready, with everyone teaming up to take him down."

"Everyone but Ganondorf…" Bowser muttered.

"Don't tell me…" Pit groaned. "He worked with Ridley to try to take out Samus?"

"No-Mario," Bowser said, and he indicated Luigi, who was still trying to come to grips with what had just happened. "He wanted Luigi to start using the Negative Zone again in the hopes he could eventually gain control of him after he fell to darkness-some sort of prophecy, he said."

Luigi looked to Bowser in surprise—not because of the revelation of the prophecy, but because of Bowser's apparent concern.

"Why would you care…?" he managed to say aloud.

"Because I don't want you using dark magic against me or my family," Bowser insisted. "Especially if Ganondorf is going to have a hand in things."

"…Yeah…" Luigi admitted.

 _Don't listen to him_ , the darkness whispered. _You can control me just fine—no Evil King can stop us!_

Unbidden came the recollection of his and Mario's argument during the Brawl tournament—

" _I can control this power just fine!"_

" _Is that so? Or is_ _it_ _controlling_ _you_ _?"_

Luigi was startled back to the present by Peach and Daisy checking on him now.

"Are you alright?" Daisy asked.

"I… No," he admitted. "I couldn't avenge my brother like I wanted to…. And now I'm finding out that Ganondorf knows about the prophecy…"

The two princesses stared, noting his phrasing—not that he was finding out about the prophecy, but that Ganondorf knew about it, which meant…

"You… you knew there was a prophecy?" Daisy asked, incredulously. "And you never told us?"

"…I couldn't…" Luigi said, looking down at the ground. "I was too ashamed… And Mario was so happy that I wasn't using dark magic anymore—I just couldn't tell him…"

Peach's expression softened.

"I understand," she said, and Daisy nodded in agreement.

"Look, I agree this is an important discussion," Samus interrupted. "But even if Ganondorf orchestrated this to manipulate Luigi, Ridley will still want me, and he'll be back to threaten anyone still here. Let's just take Mario back and-"

"Wait," Peach said. "Link was going to try something…"

She had been focused on the fight and hadn't been paying attention to what Link had been trying to do; they all turned now to see Link concentrating as he successfully summoned what looked like the spirit of a creature they hadn't seen before.

"Uh… Lady Palutena?" Pit asked, baffled.

" _That's the spirit of a Zora_ ," Palutena said. " _I believe she's a specific Zora—Champion Mipha, who fell in battle against Calamity Ganon._ "

"Yes, I am Mipha," the spirit said. "After my spirit was freed, I vowed to use my healing powers for the Hero." She looked to Link, who was still kneeling beside Mario. "But it seems that he has not summoned me for himself this time, but for another hero."

"Champion Mipha," Peach said. "Can you resurrect Mario?"

"My magic is usually preventative, meant to activate upon the moment of death," Mipha said. "As my spirit was trapped for one hundred years, it was too late for my magic to resurrect me. But this hero has been dead for a few hours now. Perhaps, it is not yet too late. If I summon every bit of my power, there is a chance I can bring Mario back, but…"

"But…?" Peach asked.

"It will take much, _much_ longer before my magic can be used again," Mipha warned. She looked to Link. "I believe Link had intended for me to protect him during the tournament. I will not be able to do so if I use all my power now."

But Link waved a hand in dismissal and indicated for her to continue.

"Are you sure, Link?" Peach asked.

He nodded in response, and Peach nodded back.

"Whether or not this works," she said. "I will be eternally grateful to both of you."

"M-Me, too," Luigi managed to say.

Everyone, even Bowser, watched intently as Mipha cast her magic. A bright, blue light surrounded Mario's body, giving him an unearthly glow. Mipha concentrated further, and the glow intensified.

" _Please, Big Bro_ …" Luigi silently transmitted as he knelt on Mario's other side and placed a hand on his glowing shoulder. " _Come back to us_."

Peach sat beside him, finally allowing a tear to slip from her eye. Silently, she leaned forward and kissed Mario's forehead as Mipha finished casting her magic.

No one moved or spoke for a moment—a moment that felt like an eternity as they all waited to see if it had worked.

And then, Mario's fingers twitched.

"Mario!" Luigi exclaimed.

A few more moments passed, and, finally, Mario stirred.

"Oh… _mamma mia_ …" he groaned. "What happened…?" He blinked, noticing everyone gathered around him with concern and worry—and did a double take as he noticed Bowser. "Is everything alright? Luigi? Peach?"

Luigi, overcome, burst into tears of relief. Peach dried her eyes and put on a smile.

"Everything's alright now," she assured him.

"But what went wrong?" Mario asked.

The others exchanged awkward glances, not sure how to break it to him, but Bowser decided get right to the point—

"Ganondorf had Ridley make you bite the big one so that your brother would go to the dark side," he said, bluntly.

Daisy and Peach both scolded Bowser as Samus rolled her eyes.

"What? I don't do 'subtle'," Bowser said, with a shrug.

" _That_ , we know," Daisy said, annoyed.

"And it's not like I mentioned the proph-"

Peach hastily shushed him; Mario would eventually have to know about the prophecy, but this was not the time or place.

Mario now scrambled to sit up; Pit and Link gave him some helping hands.

"Is… is this true?" he asked, though his brother's reaction left little doubt.

"Yes," Samus said, bitterly. "Ganondorf apparently made a deal with Ridley to take you out for that reason—in exchange, he could take me out, too. Ganondorf knew that I would ask for your help, and that you would accept. Mega Man was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but R.O.B. says he'll be okay. I'm sorry, Mario—I should have suspected a trap."

"It's not your fault, Samus," Peach said. She turned to Mario. "Link summoned this Zora spirit, Mipha. It was her magic that brought you back."

"Not entirely," Mipha admitted. "My magic was able to restore his body, but the return of his spirit was guided by you and Luigi."

"I… We did that?" Luigi managed to choke out.

"Yes, you did," Mipha said. "Though, for my part in this effort, I wish to say that it was my pleasure."

Mipha disappeared from view after that, and Samus cleared her throat.

"Now can we _please_ get out of here before Ridley comes back?" she asked.

"Yeah, good idea," Mario sighed. He glanced again to the two princesses, and then to his brother. "And then, I guess we've got a lot to talk about."

Luigi gave a timid nod, wondering how breaking the news of the prophecy would go, hoping against hope that, in spite of it, his brother would continue to stand by him.


	3. Light and Dark

Despite Mario's insistence that he felt fine—that Mipha's magic was making him feel even better than before—the decision was unanimous among the others to have him checked out by his counterpart, Dr. Mario. Not only did Mario find this annoying, he also found it incredibly bizarre, interacting with another version of himself. He decided to say nothing and get it over with, silently wondering how Link managed to deal with _two_ other versions of himself running around while brushing it off so easily. Nevertheless, he was given a clean bill of health from his counterpart, and he eagerly headed back to the banquet hall with the others.

The banquet hall was in utter confusion by the time the search party returned; Ganondorf had fled as he had found himself outnumbered, and some of the other fighters had given chase. Palutena had been among those who had remained behind in case of an ambush, and had informed those who had also stayed that Mario had been revived. Upon the search party's return, Mario had to dodge an overenthusiastic hug from Donkey Kong, who, in spite of their past clashes, was genuinely glad to see him well. Others crowded around Mario, also excited and relieved to see him, too, until Samus reminded everyone to prepare themselves in case Ridley came back.

Luigi hung back, still deep in thought. The past few hours had turned everything upside-down; Bowser was returning to a hero's welcome, gathering Junior in one arm while reassuring him and the Koopalings that everything was going to be fine—that he'd send Ridley flying off again if he ever came within ten feet of them.

He was vaguely aware of other conversations going around, too—Peach and Daisy were talking with Zelda ("Believe me, Peach, I know what Ganondorf did was nothing less than an assassination, and you have every right to be upset, but it won't be possible to issue a formal declaration of war—not when the Gerudo have disowned him…"), and Pit was shaking Link's hand in gratitude ("What you did back there was really awesome—guess you're not a stuck-up pretty-boy after all!")

Luigi was suddenly aware of someone beside him, and he gave a quick yelp as he realized it was Palutena.

"Something is troubling you," she sensed. "Besides the obvious heartache you must be going through after seeing your brother dead—even if temporarily."

"Er… well, yeah…" Luigi sighed. "It's going to be a while before I get over that, but… There is something else I'm worried about." He glanced at Pit, who was now telling a somewhat uninterested Dark Pit about everything that had happened. "…How did Pit and Dark Pit separate?"

Palutena didn't seem surprised by the question.

"You want to separate the darkness in your heart into another entity?" she asked. "Well, the Mirror of Truth, which created Dark Pit, has since been destroyed. But even if it were still intact, I would advise against it."

"But why?" Luigi asked. "I don't want Ganondorf coming after my brother or my friends again—if I separated the darkness from me, they'd be safe!"

"But then Ganondorf's job would be that much easier," the goddess reminded him. "Dark Pit is a being created to reflect the dark side of an angel—an angel in the service of the Goddess of Light. Even at his worst, Dark Pit is arrogant and self-serving, but he has scruples. A dark entity created from a human heart would not have those scruples; whatever being your darkness would unleash would be completely unfettered by your goodness."

"…Oh," Luigi sighed, thinking about what he had read in the book about the Paper universe. His Paper self's dark side-Mr. L, he'd called himself-hadn't had enough willpower to resist being forced to turn against Paper Mario.

 _Palutena's right_ , he sighed to himself. _A real-world Mr. L is exactly what Ganondorf wants—either by having me set him free, or by becoming him. I can't let either of those happen_ …

He looked back at the goddess, who was gazing upon him with a sympathetic, understanding look.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked, sounding defeated. "There's no way I can win…!"

"Now _that_ isn't true!" Palutena chided. "Yes, you have darkness in your heart, but you must remember that you also have light. And you also have a great number of people who believe in you and your light." She paused, and the two of them glanced back at Mario, who was beginning to get a bit frazzled by the questions.

But before Palutena could speak again, Mewtwo suddenly teleported into the banquet hall, bringing with him the party that had gone after Ganondorf—Young Link, Snake, Cloud, Lucina, Ike, and Shulk.

"He got away," Cloud said, darkly. "But he would be a fool to show his face here again after what he did."

Young Link gave Cloud a look—clearly, he was sure Ganondorf would return.

"Never underestimate what a fool is willing to…" Shulk began, but he trailed off as he finally noticed Mario standing with the others, alive and well, and he nearly dropped the Monado in shock. "Wha-!? How-!?"

"Long story short, Zora magic," Mario said.

"Well," Lucina mused. "…This means that we know something Ganondorf doesn't! If he does come back, he'll never expect Mario ready to face him again!"

"He'll be back," Samus agreed. "Ridley, too—at this point, we have to hope that their unholy alliance doesn't last."

Luigi turned back to Palutena.

"You're right about people being on my side. …I'm just wondering if they'll still be on my side when they find out about the prophecy…" He let out a deep sigh; Mario was still getting swamped by people asking questions about what exactly had happened. "I need some time to think about things."

"Just be careful," Palutena warned. "Ganondorf won't be so easily dissuaded. And your brother may not admit it, but he does need you after his harrowing experience."

"I wonder if he still will when he finds out about the prophecy—and how I didn't tell him about it."

"He will very likely be upset," Palutena agreed. "But I am confident in saying that he wouldn't let you face this alone."

Luigi considered this and nodded, and he then took his leave of the goddess and dragged his feet outside to the sprawling gardens of the mansion. The night sky was tauntingly peaceful, seemingly ignoring all of the tragedies going on beneath it. It was a similar sky to the one that Mario and he had marveled at as children—with Mario declaring that he would one day travel among the stars. And even after choosing a career as a plumber, his adventures had inevitably led to that childhood dream coming true—and, unexpectedly, Luigi had ended up traveling through the stars, as well.

 _Mario and I have been through a lot together_ , he realized. _Even during times I wasn't traveling with him, I always tried to help him in any way I could…. Sometimes, I even managed to save him_ …

Unbidden, his mind flashed back to the horrible sight he had come upon in the reactor core—of his brother lying there, dead, with Luigi helpless to save him. The realization began to sink in that if it hadn't been for Mipha, he would never have gotten his brother back—and that his death would have been because of Ganondorf's designs on him.

Luigi broke down into sobs again. He never asked for much—just for a chance for him, his brother, and their friends to live in peace. But even that seemed to be constantly denied—and now, it would be because of him.

* * *

Not too far from the sprawling mansion, Ganondorf hid in the shadows of the woods surrounding the place, his pride wounded and his temper flaring. The other fighters could run around in a zeal all they liked—Ganondorf would succeed in fully awakening the darkness in Luigi's heart in spite of their efforts. For now, however, he would have to find out the state of affairs with the green-clad plumber—and find out more about the prophecy.

There were creatures in the forest all around him—leftover members of the Subspace Army. With a quick movement of his arm, he had plunged his hand into the nearest tree hollow and withdrew a struggling Yellow Mite that had taken shelter in the trunk.

"You…" he ordered, infusing the Mite with a small amount of dark magic; it immediately stopped struggling. "You will be my eyes and ears now that you are in my power. All that you see and hear will be known to me, as well. Now, go—find Luigi."

The Mite headed towards the mansion, and all Ganondorf had to do was wait.

* * *

Mario had finally managed to slip away from the crowd to one of the stairwells of the mansion, sighing in relief. It was short-lived, however; he knew he had to find his brother, who he knew would still be very upset—to say nothing of the fact that Ganondorf would be looking for him.

 _My poor little bro… It's bad enough he had to find out what happened to me; but to find out that Ganondorf was behind it all, trying to make him go dark_ …

He clenched a smoldering fist; Ganondorf would pay dearly for trying to manipulate his brother. Mario would never let that pass; his family and friends were everything, and he would, always, fiercely defend them.

More than that, the thought of Luigi falling to darkness was an absolutely terrifying thought. Luigi was a kind and caring person—a bit scared and timid, but his heart was always in the right place. To lose his brother in such a way—to see that kind and good nature become the exact opposite, turning against him… to Mario, that was a fate worse than the one that had befallen him back at the reactor; he would, without hesitation, have chosen that over seeing Luigi go dark.

He heard footsteps approaching and looked around eagerly, hoping it was Luigi. He blinked in surprise as he saw Peach frantically run in.

"Peach!"

"Mario!" she exclaimed.

"Have you seen Luigi?" the both said, in unison. They paused, their expressions falling as they realized the hadn't.

"He shouldn't have wandered off on his own!" she fretted. "Daisy and Zelda are looking for him—I just hope they find him before Ganondorf does."

"I thought I saw him talking to Palutena," Mario said. He blinked, thinking about Pit and Dark Pit. "…And I think I know why. We've got to-"

He trailed off as Daisy ran into the room, breathless.

"Found him… Garden… DeDeDe…" she said, pointing in the direction of the garden. "He's with him…"

"Is he alright?" Peach asked.

"Fine… But upset…"

Mario's heart gave a twinge, but he nodded.

"Can you tell him that I'll be there in just a moment?"

Daisy sighed, still exhausted, but nodded and headed back out.

Mario sighed and looked back at Peach.

"Did… Did Luigi actually use the Negative Zone against Ridley?"

"I think he was definitely thinking about it; the moment I realized it, I tried to get him to stop—and then Bowser ran in and knocked the Smash Ball out of him. I don't know what he would have ended up doing, but I want to believe that he would have resisted trying to cast it again…"

Mario felt his heart twinge again.

"You have to understand, Mario," Peach went on. "We really thought we'd lost you this time—you can't blame Luigi for losing all hope and feeling like he had to resort to the Negative Zone. He even tried giving you a one-up mushroom, but it didn't work because of how Ridley had grabbed your head…" She had managed to hold things together up until this point, but she, too, was human, and, at last, let the tears escape.

"Peach…!"

"I'll be alright," she insisted. "Luigi needs you more than I do right now. We can talk later."

"Right," Mario said. "Just… Just remember that, in spite of everything that happened, I'm alright now."

"And I'm so glad you are," she replied, suddenly pulling him into a tight hug. He returned the hug, and, after a moment, she let go and regained her regal poise. "Mario, Luigi is very likely going to tell you about something—something that isn't easy for him to talk about. Please… be understanding when you listen to him."

"Of course," Mario said. "He's my little bro— _la mia famiglia_."

Peach managed a wan smile this time.

"I know," she said. "You two are the best brothers I've ever seen. That's why I have a feeling that you'll get through this."

Mario nodded; he believed that, too—he and Luigi had been through so much together; this would be just another hurdle for the two of them to clear together.

He waved goodbye to Peach and headed out into the garden; Daisy and DeDeDe, sensing that Mario wanted to have a private brotherly discussion, cleared off to give them room and time to talk.

"Hey, Luigi," he said, softly.

Luigi had been trying to remain stoic, and managed to give a quiet greeting back.

"I'd ask if you were alright, but I think we both know that neither of us are…" Mario went on. "…You want to talk about it?"

Luigi nodded.

"I just never thought something like this could happen," he said. "You're one of the most skilled fighters in the tournament, and you've done so many things in the Mushroom Kingdom and other lands…. I know we've gotten into scrapes and scares before, but we always managed to find a way through, but this time…" He trembled with growing sobs, and Mario placed a hand on his shoulder. "Even Palutena thought it was hopeless…. I was sure I'd lost you for good." Mario tightened his grip on Luigi's shoulder as his brother struggled to speak. "…I should have been there with you to help… I shouldn't have let you go without me; we're always strongest as a team…!"

"Believe me, Luigi, you being there wouldn't have stopped this—having you watch it happen would be exactly what Ganondorf would have wanted! …In a way, I'm glad you didn't have to see it happen."

Luigi held back another sob, still not convinced that his presence wouldn't have changed anything.

"…You know," Mario went on. "There have been times I thought I was losing you, too. Our last tennis tournament, when the Legendary Racquet started using you as a puppet… I didn't know if I'd ever see the real you again. What made it worse was that the racquet was originally supposed to go to me, not you—it should have been me…"

Luigi looked down at the ground.

"I wouldn't have wanted that to happen to you, either," he said. "I'm beginning to think the racquet took over me instead because it sensed the darkness in my heart. Maybe that's why I wasn't able to break free, even though I kept trying and trying…"

"I know you were trying, Luigi," Mario said. "The racquet's control over Wario and Waluigi had them taunting me, but you didn't—you were too busy trying to fight back. And furthermore, the racquet was able to control them and Bowser without them having to touch it; it only took over you after you physically held it—that's the power of your light. Your light is stronger than you think, Little Bro."

"…I hope so…" Luigi said, after a moment. "Because if the darkness ever wins…" He shut his eyes, trying to keep from crying. "Mario, there's something I need to tell you."

Mario gave his shoulder another squeeze.

"I'm right here."

"You… you remember during the Brawl tournament when we'd had an argument after I started using the Negative Zone, and I told you it was because of some of the things I'd been feeling after being left behind? Well, that didn't really cause it—it didn't help, but the reason for this darkness is something else."

"What is it?" Mario asked.

"…Destiny."

" _What_!?"

"I found out about two years ago, when I found the book about our other selves in the Paper world—and we traveled around with that Paper You for a while," Luigi said. "After it was all over and they went back into the book, I… I wanted to read it and find out what happened to Paper Me. I found out there was a pair of prophecies—Paper You is this great hero of light, but… Even though Paper Me had light, he also had darkness—he was the ideal host for a powerful and destructive darkness, and he could either help save the world… or destroy it. And the only way to stop the darkness is to kill the one controlling it. …Paper Me fell to the darkness, Mario—he had to be defeated multiple times before he snapped out of it, and the only reason he didn't die at the end of it was because someone else named Dimentio had merged with him in the final battle and he died instead. So, you see… the darkness in my heart—the Negative Zone and everything-is part of this world's version of that same prophecy. Ganondorf is trying to control me like the ones in the Paper World did to Paper Me… And that means that I could go dark and turn on you…" His voice cracked. "I don't want to—but if it's destiny, then I don't think I'll be able to stop it…! And then the only way to stop me will be…" He couldn't finish the thought.

Mario didn't say anything for a moment; he was clearly trying to wrap his brain around this—and he certainly didn't want to finish that thought, either.

"You've been carrying this around for two years, and you didn't tell me?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"How could I? After accomplishing so much stuff together, I didn't want to ruin it by bringing it up. And, besides, I thought for a while that maybe this prophecy was only for the Paper World. But then, things started happening in the last year that made me realize it's not just there, but here, too, like Bowser and Peach nearly getting married—their marriage in the Paper World, when Paper You wasn't able to stop it, created the Chaos Heart, which was the great dark power that Paper Me was the ideal host for. And even though you managed to stop the wedding in this world, who's to say that there aren't other ways to create the Chaos Heart—or other sources of power like it? I'm sure someone like Ganondorf knows many of them! And I know you believe in me, but it doesn't seem like I'm going to be able to fight this—I got taken over by a _tennis racquet_ , Mario! What chance am I gonna stand against the Great King of Evil!?"

He turned away from his brother now, looking back up at the night sky.

"Why me!?" he called out, to no one in particular. "Why am I cursed with this darkness!? What can't I just be able to live life happily with my family and friends like I wanted!? What did I do to deserve this!? How is this fair!?"

"…It isn't," Mario said, and Luigi looked back at him in surprise. "You _don't_ deserve this, Luigi. You've done so much—helped me save Peach multiple times, helped me out on many adventures, saved the Mushroom Kingdom, Beanbean Kingdom, Pi'illo Island, and so many other places—even the entire galaxy! You've faced your fears over and over again, mastered your powers in the Dream World, and saved _me_ more times than I can count… You've done nothing but good things in your life, and you're a kind and caring soul. So, no—this isn't fair at all, and you don't deserve this, Little Bro. You don't deserve to be cursed with this darkness that the prophecy seems to be talking about, and you don't deserve having the Evil King manipulate you into going dark…"

Mario had to stop talking; he was getting too choked up with fear again at the thought of this happening—especially having found out that the final results could be worse than he had ever imagined. And so, he pulled his brother into a tight hug. Luigi, once again recalling what he had seen and experienced at the reactor, hugged him back just as tightly, realizing that it was the first time since reviving him that he'd hugged his brother.

"I don't know what to do…" he managed to say.

"I'm here now," Mario promised. "We're going to get through this like we've gotten through everything else—together. And it's not just the two of us—we have all of our friends and allies here, too. You're not alone, Little Bro; we'll figure this out."

Luigi wasn't sure how, but one thing that was a giant weight lifting off of his shoulders was the knowledge that his brother was still by his side, in spite of it all.


	4. The Calm Before the Storm

_Notes: for those wondering whether I'll be bringing in the Luigi-centric events of the recent Simon Belmont trailer from the 8/8 Direct into this story… I think the foreshadowing in this chapter will answer that question nicely…_

* * *

The brothers had decided that all of their friends and allies deserved to know the full story of the prophecy and the Paper timeline, and what was going on—and they even decided that Bowser should be involved. After all, he was the one who had warned them about Ganondorf's plan—and if it would finally dissuade him from trying to marry Peach again, lest the Chaos Heart form and attach itself to Luigi in their timeline, then it would, at least, accomplish something.

Though Luigi had been concerned of what the others would think of him with this brought to light, he was pleasantly surprised to see most of them offering sympathy and understanding after he revealed the truth about the Chaos Heart and the Void. Most of them were convinced that Luigi would find a way to keep his will strong and resist the darkness—and Greninja (in his own tongue, of course, translated by Mewtwo) reminded Luigi that he, despite being part Dark-type, was still a noble fighter and assured him that having dark powers did not make a being evil, but, rather, what the powers were used for were what determined that.

Greninja's words helped a little, but Luigi was preferring to play it safe and avoid using dark magic at all. There had been times during the Brawl tournament that he had felt he had been losing control of the Negative Zone—he could not afford that now.

The conversation soon turned to the subject of what to do about Ganondorf; Peach, Daisy, and Zelda had decided that they would speak with Master Hand first thing in the morning about disqualifying Ganondorf from the tournament—it would, they hoped, mean that he would be sent back in time and space to his era, away from Luigi. But as far as Luigi was concerned, that was only part of the problem; the prophecy itself still worried him greatly. And yet… what could be done? The prophecies were as they were written—the only saving grace was the Light Prognosticus's declaration that Luigi would be the one to decide what came to pass.

 _So not only have I got all this darkness in me, I have all this pressure, too_ , he thought, inwardly cringing. _Just great_ …

He kept these thoughts to himself as the topic now turned to getting more help in the fight against Ganondorf. Chrom had already volunteered to join the ranks, and Pit was mulling about reaching out to an old, vampire-hunting friend of his; others volunteered names of friends and allies, as well.

But with nothing else that could possibly be done at that moment, the meeting was then adjourned for the night, with a plan to reconvene the following morning before the exhibition matches started.

Though the fighters were eager to retire to their rooms for the night, Samus was insistent that they take turns keeping watch in case Ridley or Ganondorf returned—though Mario and Luigi would be exempt after everything they'd been through. Mario was about to point out that he did feel fine, but decided that he was better off by his brother's side in case he felt the need to talk again.

As they began to disperse, their thoughts were sidetracked as Pauline ended up joining them now; it was a bit of an unexpected surprise to see her.

"Pauline!" Mario exclaimed. "Are you participating in the tournament?"

"No; I'm not much of a fighter," she said, with a smile. "I'm here to help with the entertainment, actually. But I heard about what happened and wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Well, I'm fine now," Mario promised.

"Glad to hear it," she said. "I need to go practice with the band, but we can talk later. We'll be performing that song I wrote for you!"

She gave a quick greeting to everyone else and went on her way; Captain Falcon, who was close by, had a smirk on his face, and he made a quick crack about "the missus and the ex," prompting eyerolls from most of the others within earshot, and a piercing glare from Peach—and a blank stare from Mario.

"…I don't get it…" he said, genuinely puzzled.

Luigi facepalmed as Falcon now ducked out, and Palutena shook her head.

"Mario, I do believe that Aphrodite herself could get absolutely nowhere with you," she declared.

"…She's the goddess of love, isn't she?" Mario asked. He paused, looking from Peach to where Pauline had been standing. "…Wait, was Falcon trying to imply-?"

"I believe so, but don't let that bother you," Palutena smiled. "And I meant what I said as a compliment. Aphrodite is actually quite nasty."

"…Oh."

She and others bade them goodnight; Mario turned to Luigi and shrugged, and Luigi managed a smile, shrugging back. He was glad that his brother seemed to be acting just as he always did, at any rate.

Despite the hopefulness that the brothers had achieved, Luigi wasn't sure he could sleep—a first for him, given that his ability to sleep quickly and deeply had gotten him and Mario through their Pi'illo Island adventures. Nevertheless, he quietly rested on his bunk as Mario spoke some quiet words of encouragement in both Italian and English until they heard a knock on the door.

"Mario?" Peach asked.

Mario gave his brother's shoulder a gentle squeeze before tiptoeing to the door.

"Hi, Peach," he said, quietly. "Can we talk outside? I think Luigi is finally getting to sleep."

"Oh, of course," Peach whispered back.

Luigi wasn't quite asleep, but he appreciated his brother's intent; he kept his eyes shut, still trying to battle the anxiety-induced insomnia. He could just hear the conversation outside, though he tried not to focus on it, knowing that it was, very likely, a private conversation.

"Are you alright?" Mario asked her. "You were pretty upset earlier. …Not about what Falcon said, I mean—about when you were relieved that I was alive. You… Are you okay?"

"…Alright and okay aren't the words I'd use," Peach admitted. "It's not easy, you know—trying to keep a brave face for everyone when you thought you lost someone you care about very deeply. …I was thinking about so many things—all the things we've been through, and things I should have said… Even how I shouldn't have turned down your marriage proposal…"

Luigi now tried to cover his ears with the pillow; this _definitely_ was a private conversation. He was so focused on trying to block out everything, he failed to notice the Yellow Mite that Ganondorf had been controlling crawling inside beneath the slightly-open window; the Mite had listened in on the meeting, and was now trying to gather even more information.

"Um…" Mario was saying. "I don't want you to feel you have to say 'yes' because of what happened."

"I know," Peach said. "And it's foolish to think that it would have changed anything—I'd have been mourning a fiancé instead of a dear friend…" She paused. "You know, most men wouldn't have bounced back from getting rejected—they wouldn't want to settle being 'just friends' after that, either."

"All I wanted was to be a part of your life—whether as a friend or… something more than that," Mario said. "Just being a part of things… that's all I need."

Peach looked at him for a moment before responding.

"…You did realize why I turned you down?"

"…Eventually," Mario said, sheepishly. "I forgot about the companionship and started focusing on trying to outdo Bowser."

"Yes, that's exactly why," Peach said. "I expected better from you."

"I know…"

"It wasn't easy—because I do love you." Peach paused. "Sometimes, I'm not sure what kind of love it is, but I do know it's real. The pain I felt when I thought I'd lost you forever… That was too real."

"Sometimes I'm not quite sure what kind of love it is, either; Palutena's right about me in that regard—I really don't know what I'm doing when it comes to matters of the heart," Mario admitted. "But I am grateful to be a part of your life, regardless of what kind of love it is."

"…Maybe that's also something the both of us can try to figure out—together."

" _Si_ ," Mario said, a smile evident on his face from tone of voice alone. " _Te amo, mia principessa_."

"I love you, too, Mario."

Luigi, despite trying his hardest not to pay attention to them, couldn't help but smile in spite of himself.

"Um, excuse me?" Lucas's voice now came from the corridor as his shadow joined them.

"Hi, Lucas," Peach said, gently.

"Everything alright?" Mario asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine—for now, I guess," Lucas said. "I offered to help stand watch, but I think they think I'm too young."

"Well, that's awfully nice of you, but I think they're right," Mario said. "Ridley and Ganondorf aren't pushovers."

"I know," Lucas said. "But I feel like I should try to help you and Luigi because I've been through something like this before—something that sounded a lot like the story about the Paper world that Luigi was talking about. My brother, Claus… he was brainwashed and turned against me like Paper Luigi was."

"That's terrible!" Mario exclaimed. "How did the two of you resolve things?"

There was a long silence, and Lucas didn't answer, and when Mario spoke again, he sounded absolutely mortified.

"Oh… _Mamma mia_ …"

"Lucas, we're so sorry," Peach said.

"…I'll be alright," Lucas said. "It's just that I don't want what happened to Claus and me to happen to you and Luigi.

"I appreciate that," Mario said, sincerely. "Thank you."

Lucas nodded and went on his way, leaving Mario to sigh.

"I never knew…"

"I imagine that must be impossible for him to talk about," Peach said. "He was probably reminded too much of Claus after hearing about the prophecy."

"I'm sorry I couldn't have helped them then," Mario said. "But I'm definitely not going to let anything happen to Luigi—we just need to stick together and be vigilant!"

"I know you'll do your best."

"Of course I will! Always do!"

"I have no doubts about you looking after Luigi," Peach said. "But make sure you look out for yourself, too. Ganondorf will try again to get to Luigi through you—I don't think Luigi could stand losing you again. …And, honestly, neither could I."

Mario sighed again.

"It's not that I don't believe how serious things got," he admitted. "It's just that I can't remember anything that happened about it—I don't even know if it hurt or anything; it all happened so quickly…"

"But you were… gone for several hours," Peach said. "You don't remember _anything_?"

"Well, actually, I do remember hearing you and Luigi trying to talk to me, but from far-off… And the next thing I knew, I was waking up at the reactor—I would've thought I was just knocked out all that time if Bowser hadn't told me what really happened. This was a lot harder on you two than it was for me."

"Yes…. Yes, it was," Peach sighed.

Mario thought for a moment.

"Well, the good news is that we'll be more vigilant now—Ridley only got the drop on me because I wasn't expecting it. Now I know Ganondorf's after me, so I'll be ready and waiting to tackle whatever he throws next!"

"And I'll be there to help, too," Peach promised. "Well, I think we'd both better get some rest—the exhibition matches are supposed to start tomorrow, but I wonder if Master Hand will postpone them after all this…"

"It'd be nice to finish up dealing with Ganondorf so we can enjoy the tournament," Mario agreed. "But I guess it isn't up to us."

"Unfortunately not," Peach sighed. "I'll see you in the morning, Mario."

"Goodnight, Peach."

He waited for her to leave before quietly reentering the room he was sharing with Luigi. He crossed to the mirror, absently rubbing his neck. In spite of how hard he tried to remember, he had no memory of those hours he was clinically dead, aside from Luigi and Peach guiding him back to the world of the living.

"Mario?"

"Luigi? Did I wake you, Bro?"

"No—I'm just not sleepy at all," Luigi sighed.

"You need your rest—especially if the exhibition matches are still going to be held tomorrow," Mario gently chided. "…Should I go get Jigglypuff?"

"Maybe you should—I'm getting desperate," Luigi sighed. He paused, looking up at the ceiling. "…I had no idea about Lucas's brother, either."

"Yeah," Mario said, shaking his head.

"…And you're still confident about helping me after hearing about that?"

"C'mon, Luigi—have I ever let you down before?"

Luigi took a moment to ponder over this question.

"…No," he admitted. "You've had my back since day one—literally."

"That's right. You're my little bro; I'll always look out for you."

Luigi managed another smile.

"You know, I don't think I thank you enough for that…" He trailed off, going pale as he stared out the window before diving under the bedcovers. " _GHOST_!"

Mario whirled around, his hands alight with flame, until he saw just who the white specter hovering outside their window actually was.

"It's alright, Luigi—it's just Cappy!"

"Oh…" Luigi peeked out from under the covers and then faceplanted in his pillow in relief. "Hi, Cappy…" He then scrambled back upright after a moment. " _Mamma Mia_! Cappy! I forgot that Ridley had taken you…!"

Mario looked to Cappy in concern.

"I'm alright now," Cappy said. "I managed to get away when Bowser knocked Ridley out, but…" He stared at Mario. "I really thought it was over for you, Mario."

"So everyone keeps telling me," Mario sighed. "Can you excuse me for a moment, Cappy? I need to find Jigglypuff."

Cappy nodded and turned to Luigi.

"I should have tried to get away sooner," the spirit admitted. "But I was too scared to move."

"How well I know that feeling…" Luigi sighed.

Cappy looked at him curiously.

"Mario said you're too hard on yourself. You know, when we were traveling together through all of those kingdoms, he had so many stories to tell about you and all the ghosts and monsters you battled."

"Mmh…"

"Mario kept saying that he wished you could be traveling with us," Cappy added. "But you were off on your own adventures—even though he missed you, Mario was so proud to see you go explore on your own."

Luigi did manage a smile.

"I had a great time," he said, but then his smile faded. "But when I heard that Peach had been kidnapped by Bowser for them to get married, and how that would create the Chaos Heart… I knew I had to drop everything and get back to help. But you and Mario had already saved Peach by the time I got back."

"Chaos Heart?"

"…Long story."

Mario now returned with Jigglypuff.

"Hey, Cappy, think you can keep watch so Luigi and I can both rest up for tomorrow?" he asked.

"Sure!" Cappy replied. He returned to the shape of Mario's cap, resting on the back of a chair, his eyes visible as he kept watch.

Mario now reclined on his bunk as Jigglypuff began to sing.

"Goodnight, Little Bro," he said, through a yawn.

"Goodnight, Mario."

At last, both brothers slipped into a peaceful sleep.

And, elsewhere, Ganondorf temporarily severed his psychic connection to the Yellow Mite spying in the room, having no intention of falling victim to Jiggypuff's song. And, anyway, he'd heard enough for now.

 _Of course, that insufferable Mario found a way to cheat Death. But never mind… The Void sounds similar enough to Subspace_ , he realized. _And the Chaos Heart to my Triforce of Power… I wonder_ …

Ganondorf hadn't bothered with Subspace since Tabuu's defeat, but now, he had to see for himself if he could travel through time and space via Subspace to help further his plans. The Triforce of Power glowed brightly on the back of his hand, and, at last, after several minutes of concentration, the purple portal appeared in front of him as a cruel smirk also appeared on his face.

 _Enjoy your sleep while you can_ , he silently threatened the brothers. _I will see to it that, tomorrow, the exhibition matches are an experience you'll never forget_.


	5. Intruders Approaching

_Notes: For those asking whether or not I'll bring in the K. Rool trailer into this, I hadn't planned to initially, but now I will; seeing as though Dedede is a friend of Luigi's since Subspace, it still fits in nicely. Also, this chapter contains a reference to the new Final Smash Meter feature introduced in the last Direct_.

* * *

The brothers were awakened the next morning to the sound of Peach's voice—noticeably angry.

"That's it! That is _it_! I have had it with Master Hand up to here!"

"I agree that could have gone better," Zelda was saying. "But, perhaps, this could work out to our advantage—if we can only figure out how to twist it that way."

"If you ask me, this whole thing is pretty twisted, alright," Daisy said, flatly. "I'm with Peach on this. Just who does this Hand think he is, anyway?"

Luigi glanced up at Mario, who had been sleeping in the top bunk; his brother shrugged as Cappy floated by.

"Peach came by about an hour ago to let you know that she and the other princesses were going to see Master Hand," Cappy said. "But they decided to let you sleep in."

"I'm guessing it didn't go so well," Mario said, leaping from the top bunk.

"That's a distinct possibility," Luigi intoned, wryly.

The two of them made it out to the hall, where the three princesses were heading down back to their rooms. Peach's angry rant had brought others on the floor out; Bowser was peeking out from his room, looking legitimately terrified at how angry she was, and even closed the door as she passed his room.

"Peach?" Mario asked. "What happened?"

"I don't know what I expected from a being that's just a hand—no place for a brain in there!" Peach countered.

"Uh-oh…" Luigi cringed. "I'm guessing he didn't cancel the exhibition matches or disqualify Ganondorf?"

"No, and it gets worse," Daisy said.

"How could it possibly get worse?" Mario wondered aloud.

"…I wish you hadn't asked that…" Luigi groaned.

"Not only does Master Hand not want to disqualify Ganondorf, he wants Ridley to join the tournament," Zelda said.

" _WHAT_!?" Samus yelled from behind the door of her room before the brothers could react. She practically kicked the door open. "Are you sure you were talking to Master Hand and not Crazy Hand!?"

"I was wondering that myself," Peach said, darkly. "And there's more. In order to lure Ridley out here, Master Hand wants the first exhibition match today to be between Samus and Mario."

" _No_!" Luigi cried, his voice rising an octave. "He can't do that! That monster killed my brother once—he'll try it again!"

"That's what I told Master Hand," Peach fumed. "He just laughed at me with that annoying cackle of his and said that I should stick to giving orders within the Mushroom Kingdom— _he_ gives the orders around here!"

"He claims having Ridley around will make the tournament more 'interesting,'" Daisy said.

"You want to know what else will be interesting? Me taking out that idiotic Hand!" Samus fumed.

"You'll never get past his Master Fortress form," Zelda said, shaking her head. "We just need to form a plan-"

"I've got it!" Luigi suddenly exclaimed. "We can play by Master Hand's own rules and make sure Mario and Samus are safe."

"How, Little Bro?" Mario asked.

"The fighters are allowed to send in proxies to battle for them for any number of reasons," Luigi reminded them. "Remember last tournament, Bro? You were running late for your match with Wario after you got tied up training in the Smash Run course, and I proxied for you."

"Oh, yeah…" Mario said, wincing. It was rather embarrassing—having gotten his overalls caught on a Lurchthorn's spike and being subsequently dragged all over the Smash Run course; mercifully, only the Duck Hunt Duo had witnessed this, and they certainly weren't talking.

Samus arched an eyebrow as she considered this, and then conceded.

"I have to admit, that does seem like a good idea; it'll let me be in a strategic place to stand watch," she said. "And I think Pikachu has been itching to battle; I'll ask him if he'll proxy for me."

"I'm sure I can find someone willing to proxy for me, too," Mario added.

"Yes, you can," Luigi said. "Me."

Everyone stared at Luigi for a moment before Mario spoke again.

"…You've got to be kidding, Bro."

"No," Luigi insisted. "I don't want anyone else possibly getting hurt out there—or worse—because of me. And with me being out there, it'll reduce the chances of something happening to Pikachu, too."

"I'll buy the that," Samus said. "But what are you going to do about your Final Smash? While it's admirable you don't want anyone in the line of fire, if you think you're going to use the Negative Zone, then it's probably best if you don't fight." She turned to Mario. "Mario, I think the decision is yours—you're the one who gets to choose your proxy."

Mario gave his brother a long look, and then nodded.

"There is no one I trust more than my little bro," Mario insisted. "I believe in him—believe that he will be strong against the darkness, Final Smash and all. Luigi, you've got it—but be careful out there, huh?"

Luigi, slightly overcome, managed a smile and nodded.

"Thanks, Big Bro," he said. "I will."

"You make us all proud out there!" Daisy instructed.

"We'll be cheering for you," Peach agreed.

" _Grazie_ ," Luigi said. Deep down, he was hoping that he wasn't going to let any of them down.

* * *

Luigi had to admit that New Donk City Hall arena looked remarkably like the real thing; it reminded him of the Prism Tower arena from the last tournament, with the actual battle to take place on a levitating platform. He suppressed a nervous gulp as he walked out onto the platform, which was still on the ground at the moment. The stands surrounded the arena on three sides like a proscenium theatre, and a quick glance allowed Luigi to see where his brother was sitting; in order to get a good view of the levitating platform, Mario, along with their group of friends, were sitting up in the stands, but in the center. Mario and Peach both waved to him as Cappy hovered over Mario's head, and Mario gave Luigi a thumbs-up; Daisy, Pit, and Dedede were all cheering loudly while Ness, Link, Zelda, and Palutena applauded in a more dignified manner. Bowser and his family were a few rows behind them, not cheering, but not jeering at him, either.

Samus was not sitting anywhere near them; she was even further up in the stands, on edge, not even focusing on the match and instead watching the skies, anticipating Ridley's return; Snake was nearby, incognito (or so Luigi assumed, given the large cardboard box a few seats from Samus), and Mewtwo was on Samus's other side, concentrating and readying himself. The remaining fighters, including a fully repaired and rejuvenated Mega Man, had strategically positioned themselves in the stands, ready to move into action at a moment's notice.

Pikachu bounded onto the platform from the opposite side; he gave Luigi a cheery wave, which he returned. A momentary hush fell over the crowd as Master Hand began the countdown—

"Three… Two… One… GO!"

Pikachu took the initiative, sending repeated Thunder Jolts at Luigi as the platform began to rise; Luigi deftly dodged them all, countering with several green fireballs, which Pikachu also dodged.

The two of them stared each other down for a moment as the platform rose even higher; Pauline and the band members were on smaller levitating platforms, performing "Jump Up, Super Star." It was an odd choice for a match, but it still seemed to fit somehow.

Luigi then noticed Pikachu readying Skull Bash; he countered with Green Missile, and the two of them collided head-on. Pikachu immediately followed up with Thunder; Luigi tried to dodge, but got grazed by the attack. Nevertheless, he was able to shake off the effects; having used the Thunderhand since his adventures in the Beanbean Kingdom, he had built up a slight resistance to electricity. Pikachu quickly realized this and fell back on his speed and leverage, relentlessly dashing and launching into quick Skull Bashes before Luigi could counter them with Green Missile again.

Luigi changed tactics; he waited for Pikachu to come at him again before grabbing him and launching him into an up-throw, following up with Fire Jump Punch. Pikachu went flying, but he turned his body around and launched into a Quick Attack to recover back onto the platform, his cheeks sparking with determination. Luigi casually kicked the ground to taunt Pikachu and goad him into attacking again.

The ploy worked; full of competitive spirit, Pikachu focused on dash attacks; Luigi dodged them all, waiting for an opportunity for another grab-and-throw-and-Fire-Jump-Punch combo when a Smash Ball suddenly floated above them.

The two paused, taking a brief moment to determine whether or not it was fake or real; they both simultaneously determined it to be real, and switched from attacking each other to attacking the Smash Ball.

Pikachu had the speed advantage, but Luigi quickly saw another way around this; a Pokéball had also entered the playing field, landing near him on the platform. As Pikachu went for the Smash Ball once more, Luigi seized the Pokéball and threw it, releasing Alolan Raichu from within it.

Pikachu yelled indignantly as the Raichu, trained to attack on behalf of whoever summoned him, like the other Pokéball Pokémon, now attacked his unevolved form. And the path to Smash Ball was now clear. Luigi moved to strike it to unleash its power… until something caused him to freeze in his tracks.

He had happened to glance at the New Donk City Hall building itself, and his heart skipped a beat as he saw Ganondorf through one of the windows, leering at him. All of his fears and insecurities returned full force, and he was no longer sure if he could be trusted to use the Smash Ball, even if Mario had believed in him…

He paid for his moment of distraction; the Raichu had finished his attack, and Pikachu now furiously launched at Luigi in another Skull Bash. Unprepared, Luigi went flying off of the levitating platform, twisting around and grabbing it before he could fall down.

Panicking, he looked around; Mario was now standing in his seat, clearly worried and concerned, sensing that something had gone horribly wrong. Luigi now glanced back at the building window; yes, Ganondorf was still there, watching him.

Gritting his teeth, Luigi pulled himself back up onto the levitating platform; Pikachu had gone after the Smash Ball again, but suddenly let out a cry of fright as something launched itself down from above them—something wearing a suit much like Samus's, but a much darker version of it. Pauline and the musicians hastily stopped their song as they stared on in shock at the intruder.

"…Dark Samus…?" Luigi whispered. He glanced back at Ganondorf, realizing this was his doing.

Pikachu was the first to get over the shock of Dark Samus's arrival; he responded by using Thunder on her. Luigi snapped to attention, now striking at her repeatedly with his aerials, refusing to give her an opening to attack.

Until an all-too-familiar screech made him freeze again.

A shadow was cast as Ridley's wingspan momentarily blocked the sunlight, and the real Samus started barking orders.

Pit and Dark Pit, aided with the Power of Flight by Palutena and Viridi, flew towards Pauline and the musicians, along with Meta Knight and Charizard, airlifting them out of harm's way just as Ridley began to attack. Pikachu and Luigi both struggled to counter his attacks, momentarily forgetting about the Smash Ball—until it was too late.

With a swift movement of her arm, it was Dark Samus who broke the Smash Ball, taking on its powerful aura. Luigi's mind was racing; perhaps, he could dodge Dark Samus's attack and have her hit Ridley instead…

"Luigi!" Pauline called from Charizard's back. "She's not attacking you—she's attacking Mario!"

Luigi's blood froze in his veins again as he realized that Dark Samus was aiming just past him, at the ground—where Mario, who had jumped into action the moment she had shown up, was running over to them to help and would reach that spot in a matter of moments, right when she would unleash the Mega Laser…

"NO!" Luigi cried. He had to stop her somehow—he had to help his brother! He couldn't lose him again…!

Out of sheer desperation, Luigi willed the Poltergust to appear on his back, unaware that he, too, had suddenly started to glow with a Final Smash aura only moments before. He was aware of nothing else—not the look of furious disbelief that Ganondorf was giving him, the gasps and murmurs from the other fighters, nor the fact that Ridley himself had stopped his onslaught, utterly confused by this turn of events.

Pikachu, at least, regained the presence of mind to leap out of the way as Luigi unleashed the power of the Poltergust; he stared as both Dark Samus and Ridley were pulled into the vortex. E. Gadd's bigger-on-the-inside technology was enough to contain both of them, even with Ridley's size being taken into account.

Luigi now switched the vacuum to expel the both of them; Dark Samus and Ridley soared through the air, crashing into the now-emptied stands as the Smash Ball was ejected from Dark Samus's body.

It was at that point that Master Hand and Crazy Hand now showed up, zooming across the arena and restraining Ridley together before he could get back to fighting. Samus, Snake, and Mewtwo restrained Dark Samus.

The platform that Luigi and Pikachu had been standing on now began to lower back down to the ground.

"NO CONTEST!" Master Hand boomed. He had gotten what he wanted; Ridley was restrained, but would be ready to fight in the tournament—and he had Dark Samus as a bonus fighter, as well. "We will reschedule the exhibition matches for another time!"

Peach did not look amused; if this whole "exhibition match" had been bait to ensnare Ridley and the matches had been postponed after all, then why not _tell_ them that instead of making them think it was the real thing and laughing at her when she had asked for them to be postponed in the first place?

Still, it was hard for her to remain upset as she saw Mario eagerly envelop his brother in a tackle-hug once he was back on _terra firma_.

" _Bravissimo, Fratellino_!" he exclaimed. "I knew you could resist the darkness and use the Poltergust!"

"Thanks, Big Bro," Luigi said, with a humble smile.

"But how did you do it!?" Ness asked.

"…Do what?" Luigi asked. "I just summoned the Poltergust like I always do. I didn't even think of the Negative Zone."

"Yeah, but, Dark Samus had the Smash Ball," Pit reminded him.

"You used your Final Smash—without a Smash Ball!" Dedede grinned, clapping Luigi on the back. Pikachu nodded, certainly glad he had gotten out of the way in time.

"I… I did, didn't I?" Luigi said, amazed at himself. "I… I don't know how I did it; we'd been fighting against Ridley, and then I noticed Dark Samus was going to use Mega Laser on Mario…" He glanced at his brother. "I had to protect you, Bro."

Mario paused, taking a moment to think.

"It's like when we were exploring the Dream World," he realized. "Every time I was in some sort of major trouble, you figured out how to make your Dreamy self into a giant to help me."

"But think about what you could do if you were able to do this on purpose!" Daisy said. "It's a game-changer!"

"Theoretically, we should all have the capabilities to use our Final Smashes without a Smash Ball, though they may not be as powerful as they could be with a Smash Ball," Peach said. "But in order to do it consciously in this tournament setting, I think we just need to practice."

"With the matches now postponed, I think we should all train to use our Final Smashes without a Smash Ball, even if they are weaker," Zelda said. "We will need to be prepared when Ganondorf tries again—this was clearly his doing."

"It was!" Luigi exclaimed, remembering now. "I saw him! He's in the building!" He pointed to the replica of New Donk City Hall.

"Apprehend him if you can!" Master Hand ordered. "I'll restrain him along with these two!"

Mario nodded, taking charge.

" _Andiamo_!" he said, and he led the way into the building, with Luigi and the others right behind him.


	6. Of Sorceresses and Crocodiles

_Notes: I know Veran has never been a part of the Smash-verse, but she is one of my favorite villain characters of all time, and given that she's only ever appeared in one game, I see it my duty to bring her into the spotlight wherever I can._

* * *

With his brother by his side, Luigi was definitely more confident than he had been in the middle of the match only minutes ago. The building was mostly an empty façade for the sake of the arena, with just an internal skeleton for support. A narrow ledge was in front of each row of windows, and upon one of these ledges was Ganondorf, leering down at the small army that had come to challenge him.

"So, the craven Man in Green from the prophecy grows a spine at last?" he scoffed at Luigi.

"Don't you say a word to my brother," Mario growled. "After everything you've done to him, you don't have the right to say anything to him!"

"Let him say whatever he wants, Big Bro," Luigi said, glaring up at the Gerudo King. "It doesn't matter—I didn't use the Negative Zone, even after his trick to try to get me to use it. I saved you using my Poltergust, just like before."

"Clearly, my ploys were lacking in their ability to motivate you," Ganondorf sneered. "But, soon, you will see that in order to protect those who are near and dear to you, awakening your inner darkness will be the only viable option to stop me."

"Not if we stop you here and now!" Mario shot back, hurling a fireball at Ganondorf. "You leave my little bro alone!"

Other fighters sent arrows and other projectiles at Ganondorf, as well; he shielded himself without much concern for the attacks. There would be other times, he decided, and he used his Triforce of Power to once again open a hole in Subspace which closed after him before any of the others could follow.

"That was Subspace!" Pit exclaimed.

"So that's how he got Dark Samus and Ridley here…" Ike realized. "There's no telling who or what else he'll end up bringing back with him next time."

"It doesn't matter what else," Mario said. "If he thinks I'm going to stand by and let him do whatever he wants to try to corrupt my brother-"

"Mario…" Luigi said. "I appreciate you looking out for me, but remember that you'll be his prime target."

"You think that matters to me?" Mario said. "I'm used to being a walking target—and I don't mind if it means keeping those who are important to me safe."

"Very noble, but very foolish, Plumber Boy," Bayonetta scoffed. "And that's why you never send boys to do a woman's job. Next time, just leave him to me. If he is right that it'll take dark magic to stop him, then it's better to hand the reins over to someone who knows how to use it."

"You can face him all you want," Luigi said. "In the end, he's going to ignore you for those who are closer to me." He clenched a fist. "I wish I was stronger."

"That's Ganondorf's entire point," Zelda said, gently. "He preys on people's doubts and desires; he wants you to be so desperate to get stronger that you'll relent and use the darkness to do it."

"But Luigi doesn't need the darkness—he proved that by using the Poltergust as his Final Smash and taking out both Dark Samus and Ridley," Mario pointed out. "We just need to train and prepare for whatever Ganondorf sends next." He glanced at Luigi, his expression softening. "C'mon, Bro—let's do some practicing."

Luigi cheered up a bit; perhaps that was exactly what he needed. He nodded and followed his brother to the training hall.

"We should all get practicing, too," Peach said, moving to follow them.

Daisy, Pit, Link, Zelda, and others began to follow her. About half of the fighters opted to train, while others, like Bayonetta and Kongs, seemed to opt for conserving their strength, at least for now.

"I think you're taking this a bit too far," Dedede called after group heading to the training hall. "Ridley and Dark Samus are in the Hands' custody now, and Ganondorf is just one fighter against all of us—you saw him run outta here just now, didn't you? Even if he comes back with some other villains he recruited, they can't stand against all of us!"

"It can't hurt to train, anyway!" Daisy called back.

"Meh, suit yourself," the penguin said, dismissively.

"You sure you don't want to join us?" Ness asked. "Especially since you have a new Final Smash now…"

"Nah, I'm going to focus on lightening things up around here," Dedede replied. "Everyone's on edge—they need to learn to laugh again at a good practical joke…" He trailed off as he noticed the Kongs heading off to where they had built their treehouse getaway, some distance from the mansion.

Kirby silently stared at the now-smirking Dedede for a moment before running off to follow the others going to train, as though deciding that he didn't want any part of whatever was about to unfold.

* * *

Ganondorf's escape into Subspace had led him to opening various openings into space and time in order to find the appropriate means of convincing Luigi that dark magic was essential to his survival. He had found what he was looking for in one of his multiple futures—a future where he had succeeded in gaining the entire Triforce, only to lose it, and his life, when the Hero of Time reincarnated—thus leading Twinrova to enlist the Sorceress of Shadows to aid in his resurrection.

"Veran," Ganondorf said, in approval, as he met her face to face and led her through subspace and into the forest surrounding the mansion. "Your efforts to bring about my resurrection are not ones I take lightly; I appreciate your loyalty to me. But, for now, I have need for you in this timeline, as I have mentioned."

"Hmm, yes, this 'Man in Green,' and the prophecy you described," she said. "You really think you can convince him to turn to the darkness?"

"With your assistance, I can't see why not," Ganondorf replied. "Your skills of possession will be most useful here."

"I see," Veran mused. "I should possess his brother?"

"No, that won't work," the Gerudo King replied. "Mario's strength and will are greater than you would expect of a mere plumber—he would be able to resist your control."

"Ah, then I am to possess Luigi himself?"

"No!" Ganondorf ordered. "Again, Mario is keeping a most watchful eye on him and their close friends and allies, including the princesses—even the slightest change in their behavior would be spotted in an instant. In fact, the slightest change in any of the fighters would not go unnoticed; they are all on high alert now."

"Then who is left to possess!?" Veran exclaimed.

Ganondorf silently indicated through the trees; Pauline was rehearsing with the band on the mansion grounds.

"…The entertainment?" Veran asked, skeptically.

"She is an old flame of Mario's, but they are still on friendly terms. He trusts her, but he will not be as vigilant in observing changes in her behavior when he would expect any threats to come to one of his fellow fighters."

"But if she can't fight, then what even is the point in possessing her?" the sorceress queried.

"Your skills in manipulation are legendary, my dear—even without possession, you can bend others to your will," Ganondorf said. "Right now, the biggest thing preventing the darkness from awakening in Luigi's heart is his brother's support. Plant some seeds of doubt in Mario's head about his brother's ability to resist the darkness. Lie if you have to—tell him that you saw Luigi trying to practice the Negative Zone behind his back. I want you to create a rift between the two brothers, and the darkness will do the rest on its own, as it did during the Brawl tournament-"

Both he and Veran were distracted as something large and green barreled past them out of the Subspace portal that Ganondorf had left open. The creature ignored the two of them, instead bounding away with some apparent purpose in mind.

"What was _that_ supposed to be?" Veran asked. "It looked like an obese crocodile!"

"I believe that is exactly what that was," Ganondorf replied. "I had not intended for this, but it could very well be the distraction we need to allow you to possess Pauline without being noticed."

* * *

"HEEEEE-YAAAAH!" Mario yelled, as a vortex of fire shot out from his hands towards the unfortunate Sandbag.

The other training fighters stopped to watch and applaud; the Mario Finale was definitely one of the flashier Final Smashes, and no one was surprised that Mario was the first among the training crew to successfully use his Final Smash without the Smash Ball.

"You really are the best, Bro!" Luigi congratulated him, as Cappy danced around in excitement.

Mario looked back at his brother with a grin.

"You were still the first," he reminded him. "Why don't you try it again?"

"Um… alright…" Luigi said, with a nervous gulp. He concentrated, and, once again, the Poltergust materialized.

Mario and Cappy prudently dodged as Luigi unleashed the Poltergust on Sandbag.

"I did it!" he exclaimed, obviously surprised.

"From what I'm observing," Peach said. "Mario and Luigi had been sparring a little bit before they tried to use their Final Smashes." She glanced at Pikachu. "You'd been in battle recently; how about you try next?"

Pikachu nodded, and with a shout, unleashed Volt Tackle. After beating up on Sandbag further, the mouse let out a triumphant squeal and ran over to Samus, chattering excitedly in his own language.

"So that's it," Samus said, as she gave Pikachu a congratulatory skritch behind the ears. "As we fight, we can build up enough energy to use our Final Smashes. Daisy was right—this _is_ a game-changer, and an important one; not having to depend on getting a Smash Ball changes things."

"Especially with Ganondorf causing trouble," Pit said. "But now we really know how to stop him! Dedede was right about us outnumbering him—imagine, all of us going at Ganondorf with one Final Smash after another! He'll _have_ to surrender!"

"This will go both ways, Pit," Palutena reminded him. "There is little to stop him from using his Final Smash against us, as well. Though it is true, we have our strength in numbers-"

She was interrupted by Diddy Kong running into the training hall at top speed, chattering in a panicked tone. Fox and Falco both frowned, recalling Diddy's panic during the Brawl tournament.

"Something's wrong," Falco said. "I think there's been another attack…!"

Diddy nodded frantically, and Luigi paled.

"No…" he said, quietly, as Mario gripped his shoulder again. "I didn't want anyone else getting hurt because of me…"

"Did Ridley or Dark Samus escape!?" Samus demanded.

Diddy shook his head and motioned for them to follow him.

"You guys go on ahead," Bowser said, gathering Junior and the Koopalings in his arms, ignoring their protests of wanting to fight, too. "I'll get these guys to safety and join you later." His paternal instincts were kicking in so strongly, he neglected to notice that he had also picked up a very baffled Squirtle along with his own children; Red and Leaf knew better than to point this out right now.

The others followed Diddy outside; Pauline was watching them as they ran past the mansion and into the forest.

"Is everything alright?" she called.

"No!" Mario called back. "There's trouble—probably with Donkey Kong!"

"…Oh…"

Pauline was still wary of Donkey Kong after all the times he'd given her trouble, yet, she'd never wished for any harm to befall the big ape. With a sigh, she turned to the others.

"Let's take five, alright?" she asked.

The musicians nodded and began to pack up their instruments; Pauline had just started to follow the others when she felt a sudden chill behind her.

"Pardon the intrusion," Veran whispered in her ear. "But you've just been conscripted into the service of the Gerudo King."

She was enveloped by Veran's shadowy form before she could even say a word.

"Madam Mayor?" one of the musicians asked, looking up now to see the odd expression on Pauline's face. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine," Veran said through her. "Why don't you the rest of the day off? I have some important work to attend to."

She resumed heading into the forest where the others had gone; Bowser, having successfully placed his kids and Squirtle in a safe place in the mansion, had been barreling along through the forest, as well, overtaking her and nearly knocking her over in his haste to catch up with the other fighters.

"Clumsy beast!" Veran hissed. With a wave of her arm, she levitated Bowser and sent him crashing into a tree before continuing on her way.

Bowser stared, stunned, wondering where and how Pauline had suddenly obtained magical powers from. Shaking the thought aside, he got back on his feet and resumed trying to catch up with the others, but taking a longer, roundabout route to avoid crossing paths with the apparently ill-tempered Pauline again.

He arrived in time to see the other fighters attempting to back up Donkey Kong as King K. Rool squared off against him, bellowing at the new arrivals in an attempt to intimidate them into retreating.

"So _that's_ it!" Bowser fumed. "I'll show that nuisance supertanker who the _real_ royal reptile is around here!"

He moved to charge forward, but stopped in his tracks as he nearly tripped over someone lying unconscious and bleeding in the foliage.

"…Dedede?" he asked, quietly, before shouting to the others. "Hey! Over here! Dedede's down!"

"What!?" Luigi cried.

Mario glanced over worriedly as Luigi, Ness, Meta Knight, and Kirby now ran over to where Dedede was lying.

"Oh no, oh no…" Luigi gasped as he knelt by the fallen penguin. "Is… is he…?"

"He's alive, but… he's fading fast," Meta Knight said, bluntly.

Kirby let out a quiet whimper.

"You take care of him," Bowser ordered, and he leaped into the fray.

With Bowser bringing in the extra muscle, Mario now retreated to be by his brother's side, sensing that he was needed there more.

"How is he?" he asked.

"Not good," Luigi said. "And… and it's all my fault…!"

"It is _not_ your fault!" Mario insisted, but he paused as Lucas now ran over to them.

"Ness, use this!" he said, handing him a Team Healer. "I had this with me in the training room, just in case."

"That's exactly what we need—thank you!" Ness said, and he threw the Team Healer at Dedede. There was another tense moment, but, at last, the penguin stirred.

"Ohh…" he groaned. "What hit me?"

Kirby didn't answer, but he did joyfully leap up and hug him.

"It was King K. Rool," Meta Knight said, indicating the battle.

"What? The real one!?" Dedede yelped. "…I guess he didn't appreciate my impersonating him."

"…You did what?" Mario asked, facepalming.

"It was just a little practical joke to lighten things up!" Dedede insisted. "You should've seen the looks on the Kongs' faces!" He rubbed the back of his head. "And then something hit me, and that was the last thing I remembered—guess the real K. Rool bushwhacked me…"

"At least you're alright," Ness sighed.

"I bet Ganondorf put K. Rool up to it," Luigi said, quietly. "Just like he did with Ridley and Dark Samus. He's still determined to come after my family _and_ my friends!" He looked to his brother with a heartwrenching expression. "I don't want anyone else to die because of me, or come this close to dying! Never again!"

"I know, Luigi," Mario said, gently. "We won't let it happen again-"

" _I_ won't let it happen again, Mario," Luigi insisted. "This is becoming too personal; I need to handle it myself—before something happens to you again!"

"…Luigi…. _Fratellino_ … I promised to help you!"

"Maybe… Maybe the best way you can help me _is_ letting me do this on my own."

Mario wasn't sure how to reply to that, and Veran, still in Pauline's body, watched in satisfaction. Perhaps manipulating the brothers would end up being easier than she first thought.

"Mario, you said you trust me, right?" Luigi continued.

"Of course!"

"Then… maybe just consider letting me do this my way, okay, Big Bro?" Luigi asked. "You know that, no matter what, your support means everything to me."

"And you've got it—always!" Mario promised, clasping his brother's hand. "Alright, Little Bro; we'll try this your way. I believe in you."

Veran scowled again as, in the background while the brothers exchanged their heartfelt words, Bowser now transformed into Giga Bowser again and swiftly subdued K. Rool, boasting that they could take him back to Master Hand, too, to restrain along with Ridley and Dark Samus.

 _Never mind_ , she said to herself. _People are easy to manipulate. These two have their weak points, just like everyone else; I'll find them_.


	7. The Best-Laid Plans

Shaken from his ordeal (moreso than Mario had been by his encounter with Ridley), Dedede was far less lackadaisical about the threat posed by Ganondorf now. Though things had settled down since K. Rool's attack, the fighters were still on high alert inside the mansion. K. Rool, now restrained like Ridley and Dark Samus, insisted that Ganondorf had nothing to do with his rampage, and though he spoke the truth, no one believed him, least of all Luigi, who, true to his word not to let anyone else suffer for him, was patrolling the mansion grounds for whoever or whatever Ganondorf was going to send to attack them with next.

Mario was pacing the interior of the mansion, unknowingly mirroring his brother's movements outside.

"You really want to be out there with him, don't you?" Peach observed.

"Is it that obvious?" Mario asked.

"Quite," she said.

"We all wanna help," Daisy said. "But maybe Luigi's on to something with the whole 'don't let yourselves be targets' thing."

"I see the logic in what he said," Mario agreed. "But… It's complicated for me. even though I gave him my word that I'd support him from the sidelines and let him handle this, part of me still feels like I should be out there with him, fighting by his side."

"You have a duty of care," Peach observed. "There's nothing wrong with that—it's one of your strongest points."

"That's it in a nutshell," Mario sighed. "I've been looking out for Luigi since before I can even remember—the only times I've ever let him face something alone were times when I was captured, like with King Boo. Now, he's facing off against the Great King of Evil, and I have to watch from the sidelines?"

"I think it means you did such a good job of being there for him, he has the confidence to go at it alone," Cappy said. "Isn't that what you said about his travels around the world—that you knew it meant that you'd looked after him so well that he finally was able to spread his own wings?"

"I did say that," Mario agreed. "And I meant it; it's great to see him so determined and ready to charge into action. But… I just never thought the day would come when Luigi wouldn't need me anymore."

"Mario… Pal… Buddy…" Daisy said, incredulously. "The man is your _brother_. He's always going to need you."

"And it's _because_ he needs you that he's doing this," Peach added. She placed a hand on Mario's shoulder as he gave her a confused look. "I think you don't realize it because you don't remember what happened with Ridley. But Luigi and I can never forget it. And everything you just said about always being there for him… Luigi said that, too, as he blamed himself for letting that happen to you."

"But it wasn't his fault!" Mario insisted.

"He doesn't see it that way—especially now with Ganondorf's motives out in the open," Peach said. "Don't you understand now, Mario? Death is a horrible thing—and yet, it's even worse for those who are left behind. Put yourself in Luigi's shoes for a moment; how would you feel if it had been him?"

"Inconsolable," Mario agreed. "I can't imagine losing my little bro. It's too terrible to think about."

"Exactly," Peach said. "It's a miracle we got you back—Luigi isn't about to risk losing you again, so he sees this as his burden to bear."

"I guess I understand that, but he still shouldn't have to!" Mario exclaimed. "It's like I told him—none of this is fair—the prophecy, Ganondorf trying to manipulate him… everything!"

He glanced out the window, casting a watchful eye over his brother.

"To say nothing of Kamek kidnapping him just after he'd taken his first breath…!" Pit added. "Poor guy was _born_ into a life of hardship!"

"Exactly," Mario sighed. "And all of the fears and anxieties he's had to deal with… His life has been one struggle after another, and it should never have had to be that way!"

"I agree," Peach said. "He's much stronger than he realizes when you consider that he's made it past all of that."

"That's what I keep telling him," Mario said. "He's come so far, and I'm so proud of him. Even if I'm worried about him going up against Ganondorf, it's great to see him so determined and confident out there."

"If you ask me," Zelda said. "You need to take some of the credit here; he's made it this far because of you looking out for him. All that confidence and determination is thanks to you; he's just returning the favor."

Mario smiled and looked out the window again.

"Well, he still deserves credit, too," he said, at last.

He had no doubts that his brother would resist the darkness; it's just that it would have been nice to fight by his side, just as they had done so many times before.

* * *

Outside, Luigi had been on high alert; he nearly jumped out of his boots when he heard someone clear her throat behind him.

"Who's there!?" he yelped, striking a karate pose. He then sighed and relaxed a moment later. "Oh, it's you, Pauline. How's it going?"

"Fine," Veran said, casually, still speaking through Pauline. Pauline's consciousness was trying to break through, but she hadn't had the experience to deal with possession, and Veran was able to keep her subdued. "And yourself?"

"…As good as can be expected, I guess," Luigi said, with a shrug. "I think Mario's a little upset at staying in there, but if he'll be safe, that's all I need."

"I think Mario is a bit ungrateful at your efforts to keep him safe, if you ask me," Veran said. "You've got plenty enough on your mind as it is with Ganondorf to worry about. He should be treating you better."

"He doesn't treat me badly at all!" Luigi insisted, sounding affronted by the thought. "I don't get why people keep thinking that… Is it my anxieties and fears? Mario isn't the cause of them—he's been the one keeping me together all these years! Same thing with the darkness—he's been keeping that in check, too." He frowned. "I'm surprised to hear you say something like that, Pauline; I thought you really liked Mario! In fact, that song you wrote for him… I'd have thought you still had a crush on him!"

Veran backpedaled hastily.

"You're right; I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't really mean that, Luigi."

"Then why would you say it!?"

"I was just trying to help," Veran said. "As odd as it sounds. I was… trying to keep you a bit distant from your brother and your friends. With Ganondorf using them as weak points, I thought that if you were… detached from them, it would lead to them no longer being considered as targets."

Luigi blinked.

"Well, I guess I can appreciate the sentiment behind it, but I don't like that you thought you had to try to turn me against my big bro to do it," Luigi said, his frown easing only somewhat.

"Yes, that was very horrible of me to do," Veran said, sounding as humble as she could. "I am sorry, Luigi. Really, I am. You know I don't want anything to happen to Mario, either. I was just trying to help."

Luigi sighed.

"It's alright," he said, at last. "I forgive you. I know this whole thing is hard on all of us. We're all on edge. …Of course, I'm _always_ on edge, so… more than usual." He gave a wan chuckle.

"But you do agree?" Veran asked. "That if you did distance yourself from everyone, it might help them reduce their chances of being targets?"

Luigi sighed, looking up at the sky for a moment.

"You know, you're not the first person who's suggested that to Mario and me," he said. "And, yeah, I get that it makes sense. But… I don't think that it's the way for me. I'm a shy, nervous wreck, so… the few friends I have are very important to me. They're all I've got. And my big bro… It would hurt too much for both of us if I tried to shut him out—I mean, I can tell he's upset right now because I asked him to let me do this alone. And I hate having to ask him to do that, too. Besides… I don't see how not having friends and family would help keep me from the darkness. I'd be just like Ganondorf—he's all alone and surrounded by darkness. Who does he even have that he actually cares about, instead of just using as pawns?"

Veran paused, caught off-guard as she recalled Ganondorf's words from earlier—

" _Your efforts to bring about my resurrection are not ones I take lightly; I appreciate your loyalty to me_."

She couldn't help but wonder… exactly _what_ were those efforts, and where would they lead her?

"And, anyway, I see examples all around me of how you're better off with others to care for," Luigi continued. "DK has Diddy. Wario has Waluigi. The Ice Climbers have each other. Cloud keeps talking about someone named Zack. Even Bowser has his kids. So, you see, I don't want to change that."

"…Ah," Veran said. "Very well; it was just a thought."

"And I appreciate that," Luigi said. "You'd better be careful, too, Pauline; Ganondorf might try to come after you, too, since you're a friend of Mario's."

"Hmm," she said.

Without another word, she slipped off back towards the woods. Luigi blinked, surprised that she would choose that over the safety of the mansion, but decided it wasn't his place to say anything after advising her to be careful.

Veran now crossed to where Ganondorf was waiting.

"Well?" he asked.

"Trying to turn Luigi against his brother or his friends won't work; he needs them too much," she said, darkly. "I'll try working on Mario next, as you suggested, but… don't hold your breath."

Ganondorf scowled.

"Very well," he said. "I shall make contingency plans while you keep trying. If persuasion doesn't work, you know what to do."

"Of course," she said, and as Luigi paced around the other side of the mansion, Veran slipped in the mansion through the front door, following the trail to where Mario and the others were pacing inside.

"Mario!" she said. "Could I have a word with you, please?" She glanced at the princesses, Link, and Pit. "…Alone?"

Peach arched an eyebrow, but withdrew along with the others.

"Is everything alright, Pauline?" Mario asked.

"Well… I'm just really worried about Luigi," Veran said, putting on an air of concern, once again suppressing the real Pauline's consciousness as she attempted to fight back against her.

"Uh-oh, I had a feeling," Mario sighed. "He seemed upset when I saw you two talking a little while ago. What's going on?"

"His determination not to let anything happen to you… I think that is going to end up driving him back to the darkness—a self-fulfilling prophecy, in addition to the written one," Veran said, and she put on a hushed tone. "Mario, I didn't want to mention this, but I think I have to… Before he started patrolling the grounds, I saw him in the forest, practicing the Negative Zone."

" _What_!?" Mario exclaimed. "Are you sure you weren't mistaken?"

"I'm sure," Veran said. "That's what Luigi and I were arguing about—that I'd caught him using it."

Mario looked absolutely stunned for a moment before looking back through the window at his brother.

"…It's not possible," he said, at last.

"I know you don't want to believe it, Mario," Veran said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But you need to accept the truth."

"I _do_ know the truth, Pauline," Mario said. "I know my little brother better than anyone, just like he knows me. I can see the determination in his eyes right now to make me proud and stay in the light."

"But I'm telling you, I saw-"

"You must have seen an illusion or a double," Mario insisted. "It's just the sort of thing Ganondorf would do—try to make me think Luigi was using the Negative Zone again to try to get me to turn against him…"

Veran facepalmed.

"I think I need to let Luigi know that he's got a double or something running around," Mario added.

He moved to open the window, but yelped as he suddenly found himself levitating. He struggled to turn around behind him, and froze as he noticed "Pauline" keeping him aloft with one hand.

"Pauline!? What are you doing…!?" He trailed off with a gulp. "You're… not Pauline, are you…?"

"I'm just borrowing her," Veran said. "Nothing you and your little Bonnetor friend haven't done before to others, hmm?" She smirked as Mario now attempted to throw Cappy at her. "Ah, I don't think so…!" She said, levitating Cappy in place with her other hand. "Amateurs! As if you could pull this trick on the Sorceress of Shadows!"

"Let Pauline go!" Mario ordered, glaring at her. "She's not a part of this!"

"Ah, but she is—Ganondorf hand-picked her on account of how close she is to you. And even if she wasn't, Madam Mayor here is a very nice insurance policy that you won't dare attack me for fear of hurting an innocent. I have no intentions of letting her go until we've gotten far enough away from here to ensure that there won't be any retaliation."

"How do we know you'll let her go!?"

"You don't," Veran said, bluntly. "Which means that I know you won't try anything—no matter what I do!"

She waved her arm and sent Mario crashing through the window; Luigi, who had been pacing around the corner, paled and ran over to him.

"Mario! Big Bro! Are you alright!?"

"I'm fine!" he insisted, getting to his feet. Thankfully, he'd only been on the ground floor; aside from a few cuts from the glass, he was no worse for wear.

"But what happened!? I was standing guard out here-!" He stopped midsentence as he saw Veran-as-Pauline swoop through the window, her shadowy aura surrounding her and augmenting Veran's powers. " _Mamma Mia_ …! What's going on!?"

The other fighters were now rushing to the scene, having heard the commotion of the window crashing.

"Mario!" Peach called. She took a look out the window and scowled. "Pauline! How _could_ you!?"

"That's not really Pauline! She's been possessed!" Mario exclaimed. "She says she's the Sorceress of Shadows!"

"Veran!?" Zelda gasped. "Impossible! She's from my timeline—but long before I was born! She was defeated by a past incarnation of Link, and sacrificed her life energy to Twinrova to resurrect Ganondorf!"

Veran's eyes narrowed. So _that_ was her fate…

"Ganondorf must've brought her through Subspace," Pit said. "But how can we stop her without hurting Pauline?"

"Veran can't control a body that's asleep or unconscious," Zelda recalled. "If we can safely make Pauline sleep, that will render us able to pull her from Pauline."

"Good luck with that," Veran scoffed.

She snapped her fingers, summoning several, large spiders made out of shadowy darkness. Immediately, the shadow-spiders attacked Jigglypuff; her knee-jerk response of putting up her shield proved to be her undoing as the spiders broke her shield, sending her flying with a scream from the impact. Kirby and Pac-Man ran off in the direction she had launched to make sure she was alright.

Satisfied, Veran turned to Luigi.

"I fully understand now why you're considered a prize for Ganondorf. I am from a future of his where he was slain and had to be resurrected—at my expense; if he gets your dark powers, he won't need to be resurrected, and _I_ won't need to die to do it! So, I offer you a trade! I will leave Pauline's body… for yours! You obviously won't awaken your own darkness, so I must do it for you!"

"Wh-what!?" Luigi stammered.

"You want to ensure Pauline's safety, do you not?" Veran asked. "Or will you be as selfishly craven as always, and risk harm befalling her?"

Mario furiously stood in front of Luigi.

" _You're_ the one using Pauline as a human shield, and you dare to call my brother 'selfishly craven'!?"

Veran smirked, not at all concerned as the other fighters now surrounded her.

"I am being practical," she said, as the others closed in on her. "Pauline is no fighter; she would likely not survive an attack from any of you, and you know this. I can wait this out as long as you can. So, what will it be, Luigi?"

"Don't you say a word to her," Mario instructed.

"But… Pauline!" Luigi pointed out. "We can't just let Veran keep on possessing her!"

"I know," Mario said. "We'll just have to think of something!"

"You're both right," Peach said. "But, luckily, there's at least one attack that Pauline _can_ survive." She began to glow with a Final Smash aura. "Peach Blossom!"

She performed her hypnotic dance on the spot; Veran let out a screech of frustration as Pauline dropped to the ground. Her shadowy form tried to swirl around her again, but with Pauline sound asleep, there was nothing she could do.

Mario glanced back at Luigi.

"Now, Little Bro!"

Luigi nodded, glowing with a Final Smash aura, too, now, and, once the others had cleared out of the way used the Poltergust to pull Veran from Pauline, and then reversed the suction to launch her into the side of the mansion.

As Veran got to her feet, she hissed in rage as most of the other fighters now approached her, Bowser leading the pack in retaliation for having been launched by her earlier. Veran fled to the forest, with Bowser and the others in hot pursuit. Kirby and Pac-Man, who had also returned with a mostly-unharmed Jigglypuff, also joined the pursuit. Mario, Luigi, and their friends had stayed behind, however, and were now checking on Pauline.

Pauline stirred after a moment, and then sat up with a gasp.

"You're alright now, Pauline," Mario assured her. "The others went after Veran; she can't hurt you anymore."

"I can't believe I couldn't fight back against her," Pauline said, shuddering as she recalled what happened. "It was a horrible feeling—I could see and hear everything, but I couldn't regain control of my body. All of those things she made me say and do… I'm just glad she didn't succeed in turning you and Luigi against each other."

"I think we're all grateful for that," Luigi said, with another wan chuckle.

Pauline smiled at him.

"And thank you for your help in freeing me from her," she said, and she turned to Peach. "You, too, Princess. …You truly are a magnanimous ruler if you were willing to rescue someone who could be construed as a rival, for lack of a better term."

Peach smiled back.

"Well, I did hope that I would be able to put any personal feelings aside when it came to doing what needed to be done," she said. "It seems I succeeded in that."

"You are an incredibly lucky woman," Pauline added.

"I am very much aware of that," Peach assured her. She extended a hand. "And I consider myself lucky to know you as a friend, as well."

Pauline shook her hand, nodding in agreement.

"Likewise."

"This is great, but since when were you two rivals? I don't think I've seen Pauline at any of our sports matches…" Mario mused aloud.

Luigi, Peach, and Pauline looked at him incredulously as Daisy gently pat Mario on the shoulder.

"Don't ever change, Buddy," she said. "Don't ever change."

* * *

Bowser's thirst for vengeance would remain unfulfilled; he roared in frustration as a portal to Subspace opened, and Veran fled within it. Before anyone could attempt to follow, a swarm of bats issued from the Subspace portal.

"Antasma!?" Bowser bellowed. Had Ganondorf drafted _him_ into this!?

A moment later, he had to realize that this wasn't Antasma; Antasma was never a threat to him, and certainly not someone that Bowser ever feared. But Bowser definitely feared the sensation he was getting from this particular swarm of bats—a sensation of pure and utter evil. And what was worse, they were clearly heading for the mansion—where his children were.

Without a word, Bowser turned tail and followed the bats back towards the mansion; baffled, half of the fighters followed his lead while the rest attempted to fight off the bats still pouring out of the portal.

The fighters arrived in time to see the swarm of bats descending upon Mario and Luigi as Peach and Daisy stood in front of Pauline to defend her—but the bats seemed to be ignoring the women completely. Frustrated with the sheer number of bats, Mario unleashed the Mario Finale upon them; to his satisfaction, the bats began to retreat.

"I think we've got them on the run!" he exclaimed. "We need more firepower!"

Bowser, keen on forcing them back, joined Mario and Luigi, as did Zelda, Charizard, Robin, and Roy; the bats were, indeed, retreating towards the Subspace portal.

"Something is wrong," Zelda said, frowning as she continued to use Din's Fire. "These bats remind me of the Keese back home in Hyrule… But we have several Fire Keese; I don't see how fire alone could be such a weakness to them…"

"Don't complain—as long as we send 'em packing!" Bowser responded, punctuating his statement with a drawn-out breath of fire.

Soon, only one bat remained, which Mario leaped forward to take care of with a fireball. As this bat also retreated into the Subspace portal, Mario stopped and stared into the vast expanse of Subspace.

"There has to be a way to seal this portal so Ganondorf can't send anything else-"

Mario was cut off midsentence as a withered, bandaged hand shot out from Subspace and seized him by the throat. By reflex, he shot out a fireball at it, but missed.

"MARIO!" Luigi cried. He shot a fireball at the hand, and his aim rang true; the hand retreated back into Subspace, releasing Mario.

"It's a trap!" Zelda cried.

More bandaged hands and arms shot out from Subspace before Mario could retreat, and they now seized his arms and legs.

"Luigi-!" he managed to yelp before one of them clapped its hand over his mouth.

Luigi seized his brother's hand as the bandaged arms began to drag him into Subspace; Zelda, Robin, and Roy attempted to help brace Luigi as Bowser and Charizard tried to get the hands to let go with their fire breath. Cappy also tried to help lend his strength to Luigi.

But the hands were persistent this time; more shot out, attacking Luigi, causing him to loosen his grip just enough—

" _NO_!" A cry of agony tore from Luigi's lips once again as his brother's hand slipped from his grasp.

Within seconds, Mario had been pulled into the Subspace portal, which closed after him.


	8. Creatures of the Night

"Devastation" was the understatement in describing both Luigi and Peach after Mario had been pulled through the portal by the mummified hands. It was all too much—they had only succeeded in bringing Mario back to life after losing him less than twenty-four hours ago, and now…

"He's gone again…" Peach said, not bothering with trying to stop her tears this time—she wasn't able to, with this being far more than she could take. "Ganondorf knew that he had to separate Mario from us since we'd be sticking close to him this time. We've lost him _again_!"

Daisy held her close.

"I tried…" Luigi said, his expression haunted as he stared at his empty hand. "I had him by the hand… And they made me let go… I couldn't save him…"

"It's not over yet!" Pit yelled. "This isn't like what happened with Ridley; Mario knows what's coming this time, and he's gonna keep fighting! Both of you, c'mon! Mario needs us! We just have to find him in time!"

"But we don't even know where he is!" Luigi cried. "Ganondorf has been using Subspace to hop through space and time—Mario could be anywhere!"

"I'm afraid Luigi has a point," Rosalina said, solemnly. "Time and space are virtually infinite."

"Wait…" Bowser growled. "…You! Luigi! _You_ can find Mario!"

"If I could, don't you think I'd have been on my way by now?" the younger brother replied, miserably.

"I'm telling you, you can! Kamek told me!" Bowser retorted. "I was a hatchling myself when it happened… when he took you, I mean, so I don't really remember it firsthand. But Kamek told me all about it—how your brother started pestering us even then by getting the Yoshis to take him to right where Kamek was holding you! He somehow knew exactly where you were—some kind of telepathic connection or something. If he could do that way back then, I don't see why you can't now!"

Luigi blinked, and then looked to Yoshi, who was nodding fervently.

"Luigi, you have to try," Peach encouraged him.

"I will," he promised. "But even if we find out where Mario is, how can we get to him? We can't open portals to Subspace like Ganondorf can!"

"Ganondorf used his Triforce of Power to do it," Zelda said. "Perhaps if Link and I combine the magic of the Triforce of Courage and the Triforce of Wisdom, we, too, can open the way forward. But it will require some trial and error."

"And that's time we just don't have!" Pit said. "There's gotta be another way!"

" _There is_ ," a voice echoed through their minds.

The other fighters turned to Mewtwo, who had now arrived on the scene.

"Mewtwo, can you help us?" Peach asked

" _I believe so. Latias heard what had happened and spoke to me about something she called the Teleport Gem—it was an item that had been created from Teleport's psychic energy by a Xatu and an Alakazam. Using it allowed Pokémon who could not learn Teleport to transport her out of a deep valley after she had injured herself and could not fly out. Upon hearing this, I then met with Abra, Mew, and Lunala, and the four of us put all of our Teleport energy together to create this_." Mewtwo held out a hand, and a glowing gem hovered above it. " _With further assistance from Dialga and Palkia, we have created a Teleport Gem powerful enough to travel through time and space. However, even with this assistance… its power is still limited, and very unstable. It can only be used for one round trip before it will shatter, and it will not be able to transport more than two people—meaning that only one can take it to wherever Mario is, if both of you intend to return_." Mewtwo sighed. " _We did endeavor to make it stronger, but we were pushed to the limits of our strength as it was; I fear I will need time to recover before I am battle-ready again_ …"

"We are forever in your debt," Peach said, taking the Teleport Gem. "Thank you, Mewtwo."

Mewtwo nodded in acknowledgment, and Peach now turned to Luigi, holding the Teleport Gem out to him.

"You know that Mario has always believed in you," she said. "Well, so have I. If there's one person in this entire mansion who can bring Mario back safe and sound, it's you."

Though clearly anxious, it was with a confident nod that Luigi accepted the Teleport Gem from her.

"And don't you listen to Ganondorf, either—'cause you know he's gonna try to pull the whole 'you gotta awaken the darkness to save him from me' bit," Daisy added. "Just go in, get Mario, and get back here. We'll take that big creep out together once Link and Zelda figure out the Subspace portal!"

"Right," Luigi nodded. He held the Teleport Gem in his hands and concentrated, trying to sense Mario's presence. _Where are you, Big Bro?_

He was suddenly less aware of his surroundings; instead, a blurred vision was coming into focus—the halls of an old castle, dimly-lit. He saw Mario in one of the castle hallways, fighting furiously against a group of mummies that were still trying to grab him. He punched and kicked, forcing them back, as he then stood his ground and struggled to catch his breath.

"I know where he is!" Luigi exclaimed.

"Where!?" Peach asked.

"A castle… It's all dark and creepy…!" Luigi said. "There are mummies there—that's what pulled Mario through the Subspace portal!"

"Sounds like Dracula's Castle…" Pit said. "That friend of mine I mentioned—Simon Belmont! He fights against Dracula and his minions! Lady Palutena, can you put me through Simon with your telepathy? Simon can help back Luigi up in saving Mario!"

"Yes, I can," Palutena said. "But Luigi shouldn't wait—he should go right now!"

"Right!" Luigi exclaimed, squeezing the Teleport Gem as he concentrated again. _Take me there—to Dracula's Castle!_

The Teleport Gem glowed brightly, surrounding Luigi in a bright light. The other fighters gaped as Luigi then vanished.

* * *

"HEEEEE-YAAAAH!"

Desperation had allowed Mario to unleash a subsequent Mario Finale, clearing out the group of mummies attacking him. Mario now glared at Ganondorf, who was standing at the other end of the corridor with Veran off to his side; behind them was a man in dark clothes and a cape—and noticeably long teeth.

The mummies were quickly reorganizing themselves into an attack formation, and Mario struck a fighting stance again.

"You can't kill the undead with brute strength," the vampire said. "Though I suppose I admire your tenacity."

"It won't stop him from trying," Ganondorf said, plainly. "He is notorious for never knowing when to quit. But, I suspect he will learn soon enough. Mario, it would be wisest for you to surrender to the inevitable. I cannot be slain without the Master Sword. Dracula and his legions of the undead cannot be slain by any of your attacks, either. You have no such protection of immortality—though you do have an incredibly annoying knack for returning from the dead, as your encounter with Ridley proved."

"And I'll do it again if I have to," Mario retorted. "We're at a stalemate."

"Oh, it's not a stalemate at all," Veran purred. "You see, Dracula here has a sure-fire way of ensuring that your tricks of coming back will fail."

"Death himself wanders my halls, Mario," Dracula agreed. "And he is most frustrated at your abilities of eluding him again and again when he attempts to harvest your spirit. Even after Ridley had dispatched of you, you still found ways to elude Death!"

Mario froze, suddenly recalling a vision from the time he couldn't previously remember—wandering on the ethereal plane near the reactor, and suddenly coming face to face with the skeletal spectre. He had fled—what else could he have done? He had kept dodging Death, until he heard Luigi and Peach calling for him, guiding him back to his body…

"You've cheated Death enough times that he no longer needs to wait for you to drop," Ganondorf smirked. "Once you're sufficiently weakened, he will claim your spirit at last. But that isn't the end for you!"

"Just what do you mean by that!?" Mario demanded.

"He means that one of my abilities is to control spirits of the dead and have them serve me as servants of darkness," Dracula said. "Ganondorf here explained to me about the prophecy, and I assured him that I would use my powers of the night to see it fulfilled. Once you have fallen and have become my servant, we will take you back to the others. When your brother sees you, dead and a slave to the darkness, his own darkness will awaken soon enough—wouldn't you agree?"

Mario's defiant expression faded as he paled. Poor Luigi would be devastated by thinking he had failed him as it was… Seeing Mario as a servant of the darkness would be too much; Luigi would surrender without a fight, for he would never be able to turn the Poltergust against Mario like that.

Mario regained his fighting stance; he would stay alive for his brother's sake—he had to! Even if that meant resorting to retreating, which was something he hated to do.

As the mummies drew closer in a circle, Mario leaped up into the air with a double jump, grabbing onto the chandelier as the mummies lunged. As they collided, Mario swung from the chandelier, over the three villains' heads, let go, and took off running as he hit the ground.

Dracula looked unconcerned by this, but Ganondorf and Veran gave chase. Mario darted from passageway to passageway, trying to elude them. Mummies and other creatures of the night hid in the shadows of each hallway; Mario knocked them out of the way and kept running. The way out had to be somewhere…

He turned a corner and let out a yelp as he ran headlong into Ganondorf—and a Warlock Punch. He was launched backwards, right into a bundle of webbing created by one of Veran's shadow spiders. He struggled to move, but couldn't free himself from the webbing.

"You didn't really think that would work, did you?" Veran scoffed, as Ganondorf approached again, readying another Warlock Punch.

Despite himself, Mario let out a cry as the attack connected a second time. Stars exploded around him, but he struggled to stay conscious.

"You will be witness to something truly great once your spirit becomes Dracula's servant," Ganondorf promised. "Once your brother's darkness awakens, I will use the Triforce of Power to merge the two of us together, much like Dimentio did to Paper Luigi. My reign—our reign will last for all eternity."

"N-No," Mario returned. He was so weakened that even speaking was a struggle. "He'll resist… Every step of the way… Luigi will fight you… He'll find a way to save me…"

Ganondorf scoffed.

"He can't save you—now or any other time!" he bellowed, drawing back his fist for one more, final Warlock Punch.

Mario shut his eyes, bracing for the impact, but his eyes snapped open upon hearing a familiar—and absolutely _furious_ —voice.

" _Wrong_!"

Mario watched as both Ganondorf and Veran were caught up in a familiar vortex, drawn into the Poltergust. Luigi the aimed the vacuum at one of the ornate, glass windows, and sent them both crashing through it.

Mario let out a quiet sigh of relief, slumping against the webbing restraining him as Luigi now ran to his side, panic rising in his voice.

"Mario!? Big Bro!?"

A handful of green flames melted away the webbing, and Mario fell forward into his brother's arms.

"Mario, talk to me! _Say something_!"

Mario weakly managed a thumbs-up.

"Don't know… how you made it…" he managed to say. "But… Glad to see you, _Fratellino_ …"

Luigi hugged him, gently.

"Me, too," he said. "C'mon, let's go back before-"

He was cut off as a furious roar echoed from outside the castle. The entire segment of wall—windows and all, gave way as Ganondorf, now in his primal Ganon form, burst through the wall.

"Luigi… run…!" Mario pleaded.

"Not this time!" the younger plumber declared. He fumbled in his pocket for the Teleport Gem and placed it into his brother's hand. _Send us back!_

But as the Teleport Gem began to glow, Ganon's giant hand reached out to seize Mario.

"NO!" Luigi cried.

He did the only thing he could do—leave his brother's side and stood between Mario and Ganon, resulting in Ganon grabbing him instead of Mario. Luigi looked back, seeing the light of the Teleport Gem surrounding his horrified older brother.

"Luigi!" Mario cried, reaching his free hand out to him, despite how futile an effort it was. " _Luigi_ -!"

And then he vanished, transported by the Teleport Gem. Luigi's relief was short-lived as he glanced back at Ganon, still holding him with a murderous expression in his glowing eyes. He let out a nervous gulp.

"L-Look," he stammered. "Y-You can't awaken my darkness if you kill me…!"

Ganon snarled and threw Luigi to the ground; he yelped painfully as he tumbled across the ground, but froze in place once he came to a stop at Dracula's feet.

"… _Yipe_ …!" he squeaked.

He tried to scramble away, but Dracula seized him by the collar, hoisting him up and then drew closer to Luigi's exposed neck.

"No!" Luigi gasped, going pale. "No, no, no, no! Please—don't!"

"What are you doing!?" Veran hissed, as Ganon roared again. "We need him alive!"

"You needed him alive—for me, he is more useful dead. The spirit of the Man in Green of the Dark Prognosticus, working as my servant? That is a prize far greater than his brother! Under me, his darkness will grow far greater, and then I will be the one to rule for all eternity with his power working for me!"

"TRAITOR!" Ganon roared.

He struck Dracula, which sent Luigi flying. Luigi wasn't about to stick around; he got to his feet and took off down the network of halls and passageways as fast as his legs could carry him, as Veran and Ganon now battled Dracula.

But Dracula wasn't about to let Luigi go that easily, even when preoccupied; the mummies, which had previously been after Mario, now turned on Luigi, chasing him down as he sought shelter in the other rooms and corridors.

 _Okay… Okay…_ Luigi thought to himself, trying to stare them down with the Poltergust. _I got this… I got this…_ He attempted to blind them with the Poltergust's Strobulb, which didn't seem to have any effect. When that failed, he struck the nearest mummy with a plunger launched from the vacuum.

It had no effect whatsoever.

 _I don't got this. I DON'T GOT THIS!_ Luigi mentally screamed as he now took off running. _Please… Someone… Anyone…!_ _Help me_ _!_

His only consolation was the relief of knowing that, no matter what happened to him, Mario would be safe.

* * *

Mario, on the other hand, was far from consoled as the Teleport Gem, upon sending him back to the mansion, in front of the other fighters, shattered in his hands.

"Mario!" Peach exclaimed, hugging him again. "Oh, you look terrible! But at least you're alright! …Where's Luigi?"

"He's… he's still back there…!" Mario gasped, barely reacting as Young Link handed him a Heart Container to heal him. "We have to go back!" He held up the shards of the Teleport Gem helplessly.

" _I warned Luigi that the Teleport Gem would only last one round trip_ ," Mewtwo sighed. " _My energy has not recovered sufficiently to allow me to help make another_."

"Hey! Link! Zelda!" Daisy called to them. "How's that Subspace portal coming!?"

"We haven't gotten it yet," Zelda said, helplessly. "We need more time!"

"We don't _have_ time!" Mario cried. "Luigi is in trouble now, all because he sacrificed his chance of getting back to make sure I made it here!"

"Simon Belmont has just reached the castle," Palutena said, after contacting him telepathically once more. "He hasn't found Luigi yet, but he knows where to look. He can, er… hear him."

She didn't want to say it, but Mario had a feeling—it was Luigi's screams of fright that Simon was hearing. He knew his brother hated the undead and ghosts more than anything—and now, he was in the thick of them, and all because he had stuck his neck out for him!

 _Luigi… Little Bro, just hold on-!_

His train of thought screech to a halt as a Subspace portal opened in front of them—but Link and Zelda looked baffled; clearly, they hadn't opened it.

A harrowed-looking Ganondorf, no longer in his final form, and Veran emerged from the portal.

" _You_!" Mario fumed, instantly leaping to attack Ganondorf now that he was back at full strength. "Where is he!? _WHERE IS MY BROTHER_!?"

Ganondorf didn't make an attempt to fight back; he was too weak, and as Mario sensed this, he stopped his attack.

"Back at the castle…" Ganondorf grunted. "Dracula betrayed me; he wants your brother for himself to fulfill the prophecy—only Dracula wants him dead, with his spirit a servant like I had wanted you to be! He's hunting him down now in the castle." He indicated the Subspace portal. "Go to him. I still need him alive!"

Mario glared at Ganondorf with a look of absolute hatred.

"Once my brother is safe, _you_ won't be," he promised, and he dashed into the portal.

"Mario, wait!" Peach called, running after him.

"You're not leaving me behind!" Daisy insisted, dashing after her.

Pit, Link, and Bowser also followed Mario and the princesses inside; the others, however, now surrounded Ganondorf, determined not to let him or Veran escape this time.

Back in Dracula's Castle, Mario was leading the others through the halls, trying to find Luigi.

"Simon's around here somewhere, too," Pit reminded them. "Hopefully, he's found Luigi already."

"Instead of running around like this, how about Mario use that brotherly telepathy thing and take us to exactly where Luigi is?" Bowser snarled.

"Huh?" Mario asked, stopping in his tracks.

"How do you think he found you so fast?" Bowser said. "He used the same method you did when you looked for him after Kamek took him."

"That's right…" Mario said. "I almost forgot we have that power…"

It was his turn to shut his eyes and concentrate, and his eyes snapped open again after a moment.

"This way! I can sense him! He's over this way!"

He was in a full-on sprint.

 _I'm here, Luigi! You know I wasn't going to let you face these things alone!_ he mentally transmitted.

Luigi, however, was in too much of a blind panic to receive the transmission at that moment, having been scared out of his wits by a statue of Medusa coming to life; he had tripped and fallen in a dark hallway, and looking up had allowed him to catch sight of the skeletal spectre of Death himself leering down at him, raising a scythe.

A scream of pure fright escaped the younger plumber as the scythe was brought down.

And then, several yards away, Mario stopped in his tracks, an expression of dawning horror growing on his face.

"Mario…?" Peach asked, her voice quivering as she knew she would dread the answer to her question. "Mario, what is it?"

"I… I can't sense Luigi's presence anymore…" he said, looking back at Peach with a devastated expression. "We're too late…"

* * *

 _Notes: there's one more chapter left in this; I don't think it was a surprise that I was going to bring in what happened to Luigi as part of this, seeing as though I've been foreshadowing this for a while now. And since this whole thing started as a fix-it fic for the Ridley trailer, the Belmonts' trailer dropping midway basically will let me do two fix-its with one fic_. _And yes, Pit claiming to know Simon is indeed a wink and a nod to the_ Captain N _cartoon, as well as acknowledging that they share a common enemy in Medusa and probably would know each other that way, anyway_.


	9. Brotherly Bonds

Conversations Mario'd had in the last 24 hours now raced through his mind—all of the promises and declarations he had so boldly and confidently made, now haunting him and mocking him-

" _You're not alone, Little Bro; we'll figure this out."_

" _I'm definitely not going to let anything happen to Luigi—we just need to stick together and be vigilant!"_

" _C'mon, Little Bro_ _—have I ever let you down before?"_

"… _Luigi…._ Fratellino _… I promised to help you!"_

And then, his conversation with Peach not too long ago-

" _I can't imagine losing my little bro. It's too terrible to think about_."

Too terrible, and yet, Mario's greatest fear was coming true, his world crashing down all around him…

"Mario…?" Peach asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. She let out a quiet gasp as Mario looked back at her again with an uncharacteristically broken expression. "Oh, Mario, I'm so sorry…"

"I…. I couldn't help him… Couldn't save him…"

"This can't be it!" Daisy exclaimed, her voice rising an octave with how upset she was. "This _can't_ be! We got you back, didn't we? We can get Luigi back, too!"

"That's right!" Pit said. "As long as we can get his spirit back to his body before Dracula enslaves him-"

Mario paled.

"You're right—we have to find him before Dracula does!"

He led the way, blinking back tears.

 _Luigi… I was able to hear you yesterday; I hope you can hear me now… I'm so sorry, Little Bro… All the promises I made to you_ …

"Hey!" Bowser suddenly exclaimed, jolting him from his thoughts. "I hear fighting over there!"

Mario could hear the sounds from the great hall, and changed direction; if there was a fight going on now, it was very likely going to be over Luigi's spirit. Whoever this Simon Belmont was that Pit and Palutena had been talking about, Mario could only hope they were strong enough to stand up to Dracula's dark magic.

They reached the great hall, pausing as they saw two men, one blond and one brunet, both clearly related to each other, attempting to drive Dracula away.

"Simon!" Pit exclaimed.

The blond glanced over and looked at Pit with a brief look of recognition before turning his attention back to Dracula. Simon and his companion continued to attack Dracula, who looked vexed to see Mario and the others arriving.

But Luigi was nowhere to be seen.

Daisy was the first one of their crew to jump into action; she dashed forward, hip-checking Dracula right into the path of Simon's whip. As Dracula was knocked back by the whip, Pit and Link showered him with arrows until Peach hip-checked him now towards Mario's direction.

Fueled by pure anger and sorrow, Mario unleashed the Mario Finale at the vampire. Though this wasn't enough to slay the vampire, Dracula did retreat to a more secluded area of the castle, knowing that Simon had the means with which to kill him.

"That was awesome, Simon!" Pit exclaimed. "Thanks for your help—and your friend's!"

"Richter Belmont," the brunet introduced himself. "Descendent of Simon's—guess you could say that I showed up here to help my family."

Mario's heart twisted.

"At least you succeeded…" he said, quietly.

"Oh, Mario…" Peach said, softly. She looked to Simon and Richter. "I don't suppose you've seen Mario's brother, Luigi?"

"The one Palutena spoke to me about?" Simon asked. "…Yes, I saw him." His expression changed to one of sympathy as Mario looked at him, half with concern and half with dread. "…I'm sorry. By the time I had found your brother, Death had ripped his spirit from him. I was able to stop Death from delivering him to Dracula, however; Luigi's spirit escaped when I attacked Death."

"…Wh… Where is he now…?" Mario managed to asked, his throat finding it difficult to speak. His only consolation was knowing that Dracula did not have his brother yet—with "yet" being the operative word.

"I don't know," Simon confessed. "I lost track of him while fighting Death—and then Dracula showed up. If it hadn't been for Richter, I, too, might have suffered the same fate as your brother-"

Another scream of pure fright, echoing from another room, cut him off. Peach gasped, recognizing the voice.

"That's…"

"LUIGI!" Mario yelled.

He bolted in the direction of the scream, trying very hard to ignore Bowser as the Koopa King made an offhand comment, wondering what could possibly be so horrible to frighten a spirit.

They soon found out; running into a room with barred windows, Mario momentarily stopped in his tracks as he saw a large face leering through a window, her eyes leaking what appeared to be blood.

"Carmilla!" Richter snarled.

But Mario couldn't care less who or what the face was, for his gaze went to the floor beneath the window, where his brother's body lay. His throat constricted again, and only one word made it past his lips-

"… _Fratellino_ …"

As Pit and Link assisted the Belmonts in driving off Carmilla, Peach, Daisy, and Bowser gathered around Mario as he tended to his fallen brother. For Peach, it was a horrible reversal of the previous night—now it was Mario, broken and kneeling with his dead brother in his arms, pleading for him to awaken.

It was the expression of sheer, unadulterated fear on Luigi's face that haunted Mario most; Mario had felt no fear in the reactor last night, as Ridley had taken him by surprise before he could have processed what had happened. Luigi, on the other hand, knew exactly what was happening to him, and had been utterly terrified—and still was, if the scream from his spirit only moments ago had been any indication.

…But where _was_ his spirit?

 _Luigi… Please, come back_ , Mario silently transmitted. _I know I let you down, and there's no way I can ever make up for that, but… I came back for you yesterday. Please… give me another chance, too_ …

There was no answer; either Luigi had been too scared, or… he didn't want to come back.

The very notion of that chilled Mario to the core; it was certainly within the realm of possibility. Luigi probably had seen himself as a liability, being tied to the prophecy and carrying the burden of the darkness buried in his heart. He had probably believed that to move on to the next world was a necessary sacrifice for someone who had (wrongly) been convinced that his role was that of a mere sidekick, otherwise unimportant and unneeded.

More memories raced through Mario's mind now-over two decades' worth of memories, from as far back as he could remember up to the last time he had seen his brother alive; standing on each other's shoulders as children to access cookies that their mother had attempted to keep out of their reach… snowball fights in wintertime… attending trade school together and opening a plumbing business, and the shenanigans that had ensued from that… and, of course, all of their adventures together in the Mushroom Kingdom and other lands… One thing had always remained constant on those adventures—that every time Mario looked over his shoulder, Luigi would be right behind him, ready to lend his support; it was something that Mario missed whenever he went on solo adventures… and the very idea that he would never be able to see Luigi following him ever again was enough to start the tears flowing.

 _You were always important, Luigi. You still are. Please… don't go_ …

As she had last night, Peach kept one hand on Mario's shoulder and the other on Luigi's hand; Daisy took Luigi's other hand. Unlike Mario's broken neck, there didn't appear to be any injuries on Luigi's body—there was no reason why his spirit shouldn't have been able to return to it.

Link, Pit, and the Belmonts now rushed to their side, having successfully driven off Carmilla.

"Carmilla did not have Luigi's spirit with her," Simon informed them, softly. "It would appear that his spirit went into hiding upon noticing her."

"So… he's still here?" Peach asked, slightly relieved.

"C'mon, Luigi…" Daisy said, looking around. "Where are you!?"

"C'mon, Buddy!" Pit called. "It's safe now!"

"We still need to find him—and quickly," Simon added. "Aside from the fact that Dracula is still looking for his spirit, once too much time goes by, he won't be able to return to his body."

"There's… another possibility," Richter said. "It could be that Luigi was so scared by Carmilla, out of desperation, he might have crossed over to escape from her."

"…Or if he thought he was making a sacrifice, taking the darkness of the prophecy with him," Mario said, his voice quivering.

Bowser, who had been silent all this time, now lumbered up to Mario, who was still holding Luigi's body.

"You know this is all your fault, don't you!?" he said, pointing at the brothers.

"Bowser!" Peach scolded.

"…No," Mario said, quietly. "He's right. You and Luigi both warned me that Ganondorf would target me again, and I promised you both that I'd be vigilant. But I still let myself get captured, and brought here, and Luigi sacrificed himself to make sure I got out alive. This _is_ my fault."

"And now Dracula could get ahold of Luigi's spirit!" Bowser roared. "If he makes Luigi his servant and awakens his darkness, we're all done for! And even if Luigi managed to escape to the other side, do you really think Dracula and Ganondorf are gonna let that pass!? They'll take it out on us—on my kids!"

He drew his gigantic fist back, readying a punch at Mario, who made no effort to defend himself; Peach grabbed a frying pan, and Daisy grabbed a tennis racquet, cursing loudly. Link, Pit, and the Belmonts also moved to defend Mario, but everyone stopped as Luigi's spirit suddenly materialized between Mario and Bowser, glaring at the Koopa King.

To everyone's surprise, Bowser merely smirked triumphantly.

"I knew that'd work," he said, and he backed down immediately as the others stared at him, dumbfounded.

"I don't understand…" Daisy said, after a moment. "Luigi, couldn't you hear us?"

"I could," Luigi said. "But I, er… I was too scared…"

"Oh, Luigi," Peach sighed.

"Luigi…" Mario managed to say; his throat had constricted again at the sight of his brother's ghost.

"Big Bro…" the spirit said, turning back to him with a soft expression. "Please don't blame yourself for this. You and I both know that you would have done the exact same thing for me." He cast a sad glance at his body. "But I wouldn't have wanted that. I'm… not happy to be dead, but I'm glad it wasn't you again. I couldn't let it happen again, Mario! Not after what happened yesterday!"

There was so much Mario wanted to say—saying that now he understood exactly how Luigi must have felt, but that didn't change how he was feeling now… But, still, there were more important things to discuss.

"You… you can come back, right…?" he managed to ask.

"I… I would like to…" Luigi said. "But I don't know if I can…"

"But you haven't been dead long enough to prevent the return to your body," Simon frowned.

"When I tried to go back earlier, something felt… wrong," Luigi said. "I don't know exactly what, but it didn't feel right. …And then Carmilla showed up, and I got scared and bolted."

"Well, going back after being disembodied is always a weird thing—I've been there before," Pit said.

"Please, Little Bro…" Mario said. "Try again."

He sounded so lost—nothing at all like the confident hero that everyone knew him as. But Peach knew that it was to be expected—Mario was not someone who put on false airs. The heroic will had been shattered upon losing the brother and best friend that he had been looking after since childhood; if Luigi couldn't come back, Peach knew that the day would end with them losing both brothers, for Mario would never recover from the loss.

"Luigi, please…" she said, appealing to the frightened spirit. "We all want and need you back… But your brother needs you most of all."

Luigi nodded, and, after pausing to glance at Mario, who managed to give him a nod of encouragement, Luigi's spirit crossed his arms and slowly phased back in to his body. Mario still held him in his arms, waiting for something to happen, quietly praying and pleading in Italian, just under his breath.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but, after what seemed like ages, Peach's expression suddenly brightened.

"I can feel his heartbeat!" she exclaimed, her fingers now checking for a pulse on Luigi's wrist.

"Me too!" Daisy exclaimed. "C'mon, you! Just a little bit more!"

Luigi's eyes, which had been wide-open and blank, now shut for a moment before opening again, blinking into focus.

He didn't even have a moment to react before Mario pulled him into a tight hug; it was clear, though, just how devastated Mario had been, and how relieved he was now.

And as the memories of his last moments returned to him, Luigi felt himself trembling in fear as he recalled the full horrors of dying alone and scared.

"M-Mario…"

Mario only tightened the hug, and Luigi then returned it, still trembling. Peach now hugged the both of them, and Daisy joined in on the group hug, as well. Bowser awkwardly looked away as Pit also joined in, and Link opted to place a hand on each of the brothers' shoulders instead; the Belmonts followed suit until Bowser finally spoke.

"Look, can we get out of this place?" the Koopa King asked. "Dracula might come back, and besides, I hate this castle." He scowled at the décor. "…Not enough lava…"

"He's right about Dracula," Richter said. "How did you get here?"

"Through a Subspace portal," Peach said. "It should still be opened."

"Good; go through that," Simon instructed. "Richter and I can cover your retreat."

"Hey, why don't you come back with us?" Pit asked. "Dracula isn't gonna let you off easy for helping us get away with Luigi, and besides—I'm sure Master Hand will let the both of you join the fighting tournament, too!"

Ancestor and descendant exchanged glances for a moment.

"It would be an honor, Pit," Simon replied. "Very well, we will go back with you."

Mario looked to his brother.

"Do you think you can walk?" he asked.

Luigi managed a nod.

"I think so…" he said. "But I still feel like something is off…"

"I'll help you," Mario promised, supporting Luigi as they stood up.

They had to fight against more bats and mummies as they made their way back to the Subspace portal, but, at last, they emerged back at the mansion, much to the relief of everyone present, especially Cappy, who once again perched on Mario's head.

Palutena was pleasantly surprised to see Simon along with them, and it was as she and Pit began to introduce the Belmonts to everyone that Ganondorf now began to chuckle, despite being surrounded by several other fighters.

All eyes turned to the Gerudo King.

"So, you got back my servant and key to my reign? I thank you."

"We didn't rescue Luigi for you!" Mario shot back.

"Perhaps not, but that's exactly what you ended up doing!" Veran taunted.

"You are both crazy if you think the two of you stand a chance against all of us!" Peach fumed.

"Ah, but it isn't two anymore," Ganondorf said. "Now, it is three—and the third member of our party is one you will not dare attack!"

He raised his hand, and the Triforce of Power began to glow.

"What's he doing?" Mario asked. "Is he going to transform again-?"

"Mario…!" Luigi gasped, cutting him off.

Mario turned to his brother, and then paled as he saw a similar Triforce mark glowing on the back of Luigi's hand, setting the younger plumber's body aglow with a golden aura.

"What!?" Daisy shrieked.

"No…!" Mario gasped, grabbing his brother by the shoulders before glaring at Ganondorf. "What have you done!?"

"Back at the castle, when I had transformed and accidentally seized him instead of you, I infused his body with some of the magic of the Triforce of Power—a great power not unlike that of the Chaos Heart of the prophecy," Ganondorf. "And, therefore, a power that could be hosted by the Man in Green, just like the Chaos Heart! But as I am the destined bearer of the Triforce of Power, I still hold control over it—and him!"

"Mario! Help me…!" Luigi cried, as the golden glow intensified around him. It was just like the book, he realized with horror—when Dimentio had planted a Floro Sprout in the mind of his paper self… His paper self hadn't been able to resist its control—nor had his real self been able to resist the control of the Legendary Racquet, either…

Mario tightened the grip on Luigi's shoulders, helpless as he realized that there was nothing he could do to help.

"I… I can't…!" he choked out. _Please… Please, not this. I just got him back; I can't lose him again—please!_

"Attack Ganondorf!" Peach ordered. "If we break his control, Luigi will be freed!"

"I think not!" Ganondorf sneered. "Luigi, come here!"

The Triforce of Power glowed even more brightly in his hand, causing the glow around Luigi to intensify even further. Luigi let out a cry as his legs began to move forward against his will, taking him towards Ganondorf.

"NO!"

Mario enfolded his brother in a tight embrace again, bracing his feet against the ground and preventing him from walking any further.

The other fighters were attempting to battle Ganondorf and Veran; Ganondorf was nonchalantly fighting them off with one hand, still using his other hand to control Luigi.

"I _said_ to come here, Luigi!" he snarled. Sparks of golden energy now circled his hand, and the same sparks circled around Luigi, causing him to cry out in pain. "You wish for the pain to stop? Then stop resisting!"

Mario felt his heart breaking again as he heard his brother's cries of pain and felt him writhe in agony beneath his embrace.

"Luigi…. Luigi, you have to hang in there-"

The sparks grew in intensity, and the scream of pain that followed was so heart-rending that Mario let go of him, staring at him in horror. Luigi's eyes had glazed over—whether from pain or from Ganondorf's control grabbing ahold of him, Mario didn't know, but either reason was too terrible.

The sparks suddenly stopped, and Ganondorf looked pleased as Luigi doubled over, trying to catch his breath.

"That's right," he said. "See how much easier it is this way?"

"No…" whispered Peach. "Luigi…"

"This isn't fair!" Daisy shrieked. "This isn't what he wants! You're manipulating him with torture and mind-control!"

"The end results are all that matter," Ganondorf sneered. "Now, Luigi—we must make sure that your foolish brother doesn't get any ideas to interfere. Unleash the Triforce-enhanced Negative Zone and use its dark magic to plunge him into an eternal sleep!"

Mario's heart sank as Luigi, his eyes now fully glazed over with a golden hue, turned to him with a blank expression. They stared at each other, and Mario's heart twisted further as he saw a tear slip from each of Luigi's eyes. Luigi was an unwilling prisoner in all of this, who had not wanted to use the darkness, but only wanted to stay in the light with his big brother—who Ganondorf was now forcing him to destroy.

"Oh, Luigi…" he whispered. He pulled his brother into an embrace one more time. "I don't blame you for this; I know this isn't what you wanted. You're not responsible for this…" He cringed, faced with the truth. "This all happened just because you wanted to save me from Dracula's castle—getting infused with the Triforce, dying, and now this… But you keep fighting him, okay, Luigi? You keep fighting him, and break free one day, because I know you can… And maybe someday, you'll find a way to wake me up from this Triforce-enhanced Negative Zone. Just… Just remember me, _Fratellino_ , and know that I will always believe in you."

"Now, Luigi!" Ganondorf ordered.

Mario still didn't let go—not this time. He wanted to be in contact with his brother until the very end.

But the end did not come, and Ganondorf growled in frustration.

"Didn't you hear me!?"

"I won't do it!" Luigi cried back. "I won't hurt my big bro! I won't—!" He let out a cry of agony again as the golden sparks resumed punishing him for his disobedience.

"Luigi…!" Mario cried. He couldn't stand to see his little brother enduring such pain and suffering anymore; he was almost tempted to tell him to do what Ganondorf was saying, if only to make the torture stop, and yet… He shook his head and tightened his hug again. "I'm right here, Little Bro! Just focus on me!"

He felt Luigi hug him back, still writhing in pain… But then, something happened. The golden glow around Luigi was replaced with a bright, white light—a light that, Mario realized, he, too, was glowing with.

The white light now eliminated the golden, and the fragment of Triforce of Power that Ganondorf had infused in Luigi was now launched from his body, clattering on the ground.

"WHAT!?" Ganondorf bellowed.

The pain of the golden sparks now gone, Luigi fell forward into his elder brother's embrace, trying to catch his breath.

"…Big Bro…?"

"I'm here; I'm right here," Mario promised.

"What… what just happened?" Luigi asked.

"It was light magic!" Daisy exclaimed, running over to them. "You both activated some sort of shared light magic—I bet it's the same kind of magic that gives you the power to sense each other's thoughts and locations and use those combination Bros Attacks that you two are so good at!"

"I think it's more than just that," Peach said, still awed by what they had seen. "If this light magic is from your bond as brothers, then Luigi sacrificing himself for you back at Dracula's Castle—a selfless and noble act—only strengthened that light magic. Ganondorf's magic was no match for it."

"This isn't over!" Ganondorf vowed, as the others surrounded him and Veran again. "My magic is still stronger than that pitiful light magic—I will use all of my Triforce of Power to-"

He was cut off as he was sent hurtling into the air by a Lloid Rocket that had snagged onto his cape. The fighters paused, looking to the Villagers, but they all seemed just as baffled until Isabelle scrambled over to them, waving an invitation letter.

"Sorry I'm late!" she chirruped. She blinked as Ganondorf crashed back down, only to be swarmed by the other fighters. "Oh dear, I didn't see him there… Did I interrupt something? I didn't mean to-!"

"Don't sweat it, Pal," Daisy grinned, as more fighters swarmed to hold Veran down, too. "You just saved us a ton of trouble!"

Mario managed a smile and exchanged a weary, but relieved, glance with his younger brother.

Somehow, against all odds, they had made it through.

 **Epilogue**

Master Hand was more than willing to let Simon and Richter join the tournament as thanks for all of their help. Ganondorf was now corralled along with Ridley, Dark Samus, and K Rool, and Master Hand had instructed Mewtwo to wipe their memories of the entire incident, along with their knowledge of the prophecy, and do so for Dracula if he ever showed up, too. Veran would be sent back to her timeline, also with her memories modified.

Mewtwo was happy to comply, and so, to make it seem as though the events of the last 24 hours had never happened, the welcome banquet was held again (though, officially, for the first time), allowing Isabelle, Simon, and Richter to enjoy the festivities, as well as waiting for more invitees that, according to Master Hand, were also running late, but were due to arrive soon.

Mario and Luigi were more than a bit nervous to see Ganondorf walking around the banquet hall (Samus was quite furious to see Ridley and Dark Samus there, as were the Kongs to see K Rool), but Mewtwo assured them that they were all perfectly safe.

" _The locks on their memories will last until I unlock them (which I have no intentions of doing), or until they are killed and resurrected again_ ," Mewtwo assured them, and then the cat's eyes narrowed. _"…I am told this happens a lot, particularly for Ganondorf, but as long as everyone resists the temptation to kill him during this tournament, then there should be no issues_."

Indeed, Ganondorf didn't give Luigi a second glance this time, much to the relief of the brothers and their friends—and even Bowser, too.

"Memory lock or not, I'm gonna keep an eye on that Gerudo creep," he vowed. He glanced back at the brothers. "Look… Don't get used to this whole 'being on your side' thing. This is just until we get back to the Mushroom Kingdom, got it?"

Without even waiting for an answer, he headed back to Junior and the Koopalings, instructing them to refrain from making too much of a mess while they were stuffing their faces.

Peach now turned to the brothers.

"Well," she sighed. "I think you two have a lot to talk about, so Daisy and I will give you some space to go do that."

"In the meantime, we got you covered with some eats to munch on while you talk," Daisy added, indicating the platters of pasta and other foods that the brothers enjoyed.

They thanked the princesses and took the food outside to the garden, Peach sighing as they headed outside.

"I'm so glad they're alright," she said.

"You and me both, Pal 'o Mine," Daisy agreed.

"I mean—really, though; Mario wouldn't have been the same if we had lost Luigi for good," Peach added. "His family means the world to him."

"You mean the world to him, too, you know," Daisy said.

"I know," she said. "We were both discussing that last night—we know we love each other, but we just aren't sure of what kind of love it is."

"Did you figure it out?" Daisy asked.

"Not yet," Peach said. "We both need time, and after what happened here, we'll need a lot of it—especially Mario. If I were to rush him into a conversation about love now, then I'd be guilty of the same thing I chided him for about his ill-timed proposal. But what I do know is that, just like how Mario said that he wanted to be a part of my life, regardless of the role… I want that, too."

Daisy nodded.

"I like having you guys in my life, too, ya know" she said. "You really make things interesting."

"That's an accurate way of putting it," Peach said, managing a smile.

They would move on from this, slowly but surely. For now, Peach would be grateful that they were still together after all the dust had cleared.

Outside, the brothers sat and ate together under in the crisp, night air—grateful to be able to share a meal together again after what they had been through. They were quiet, at first, trying to figure out which of the elephants in the room to address first. Finally, Mario spoke.

"I let you down today, Little Bro," he said, his voice full of remorse. "And there are no words I can say that will ever be enough to apologize."

"No, Mario," Luigi said, shaking his head. "What happened at Dracula's Castle was because of my choice."

"But you wouldn't have been there if I hadn't got captured-!"

"You've stuck your neck out for me so many times before!" Luigi reminded him. "This was no different!" His expression softened. "I know you feel like you have to be the one to look after me, but we both know that we look after each other. We're a team, Big Bro—that's how our light magic was enough to stand up to the Triforce of Power."

"Yeah…" Mario mused. "I guess you're right. I just wish…" His throat tightened again, recalling the haunting images of seeing Luigi lying dead, and then, after his revival, the pain and torture he underwent at the hands of Ganondorf. "I just wish you hadn't had to go through all that for our light magic to activate like that."

"I know," Luigi sighed. "I didn't want this, either. I was a little frustrated that you didn't seem to understand how I was feeling last night after seeing you dead in the reactor—you just acted your usual, confident self, like nothing had happened. But this wasn't how I wanted you to know how I felt—not like this. I could tell you were really hurting when you found me dead, and again when Ganondorf tortured me…"

"It wasn't just finding you dead, I was beginning to think…" Mario shut his eyes, trying to physically keep any tears from forming. "…I was beginning to think you'd crossed over because you thought it was a necessary sacrifice to take the darkness with you—because you thought you were the expendable sidekick or something."

"…I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't thought of that," Luigi admitted. "It seemed like the logical thing for a darkness-cursed coward to do-"

" _Don't_."

"Huh?"

"Don't let anyone call you a coward—not even yourself!" Mario said. "What you did today… Those were the bravest things I've ever seen, Luigi."

Luigi blinked, and then managed a small smile.

"Thanks," he said, and then he sobered. "But yes, I did think that, but I still didn't want to go. I knew you would miss me, and… I would miss you—and Peach and Daisy and all our friends. I know that even if I don't think I'm important, or if most everyone else thinks that I'm not… You would never."

"That's right," Mario said, with a nod. "I'm… glad you know that, at least. It's like I told Simon a little while ago—I owe Link and Mipha my life for what happened yesterday, but… I owe Simon so much more today for making sure that Death didn't deliver you to Dracula."

"I'm glad he was able to stop that from happening," Luigi agreed. "But I was worried for a while after that something felt off about my body when I was trying to go back—now I know that it was that bit of Triforce of Power that Ganondorf had given me."

Ah, yes, the other elephant—how Mario had been so helpless and could only watch as his brother had been tortured…

Mario placed his platter of food aside and hugged his brother once more. Luigi instantly returned it.

"I was so scared," Luigi confessed. "I knew he was controlling me with it, and I thought… I thought it was all over, like with the Legendary Racquet…" His voice quivered. "But then he wanted me to use the Negative Zone on you, powered up with the Triforce… I couldn't! I just couldn't—no matter what he did to me, or… or how much it hurt…" He trailed off, trembling. "And it hurt a lot…"

"I know," Mario said, still haunted by Luigi's cries of pain. "If I could have done anything to make it stop…"

"But you did…" Luigi reminded him. "When you told me to focus on you… I did, and then our light magic activated." He sighed. "You know, I never thought that our Bros Attacks were from that same magic, but I guess it makes sense—you wouldn't expect kicking a shell back and forth to increase its power, or things like that…"

"Yeah, that's right…" Mario said, and he managed a smile. "Too bad we can't enter as a duo like the Ice Climbers and use our Bros Attacks in the tournament here."

Luigi did chuckle at that.

"We do make an unbeatable team," he sighed.

"We sure do," Mario agreed, and he recalled all of the memories he had thought about back in the castle. "Luigi… Sometimes, I don't say things as often as I should—I guess because I know that you know without my needing to tell you… but that doesn't mean that I should be satisfied with that." He tightened the hug around his brother. "You're my brother and my best friend—the first friend I ever had. Thank you for being there whenever I've needed you most."

Luigi nodded.

"That goes for me, too," he said. "You're the best big bro ever, and thank you for being there for me, too."

Mario nodded back. They were both going to need time to heal from this, but with each other's support, they would be able to recover.

"You know we're going to end up facing each other at some point in this tournament," he said, after a while. "Even after everything that's happened… Don't you hold back, alright?"

"No way!" Luigi promised. "One of us is going to win this tournament—I can feel it!"

"Oh, yeah!" Mario grinned. "C'mon, let's get back inside and join the others!"

Luigi nodded and followed Mario back to the banquet hall.

It had been a dangerous, heartbreaking struggle, but they had managed to get through it together—their brotherhood stronger than ever before as a result, and their hopes returning once again.

 **The End**

* * *

 _Notes: and that's the end! Thanks to everyone who followed and supported this fic! The idea that the Bros Attacks from the_ Mario & Luigi _series are powered by the bros' combined light magic is an idea that came to me after seeing some of the flashier attacks-as well as how ordinary shells and other items end up being stronger than normal. It's probably also related to how the brothers' bond allowed Dreamy Luigi to become a giant in_ Dream Team _whenever Mario was in trouble by a giant boss.  
_

 _If the rumors are true about a story mode being included in_ Ultimate _, there's a very good chance I might end up being inspired to write a sequel to this_ _—and with_ Luigi's Mansion 3 _on the horizon, I'll probably end up writing something for that as we learn more about it, too._


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